Hunter Moon R
by Neverwhere Chaos Mode
Summary: Mega Man X goes Maverick hunting in another dimension
1. Brave New World

Chapter 1 - Brave New World  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~23XX, Underground lab 3:12 PM~  
  
I stared silently at the craft in front of me. It was named Hope II. I had scratched the 'II' in myself. The others, except Zero and Dr. Cain were oblivious to why I had done it, but then no one but Dr. Cain and I had ever seen the original Hope. My thoughts drifted backwards to what only I, Zero, and Dr. Cain knew. I hadn't even told Dr. Cain until just days ago. What I had only confided in Zero. What I had only told Dr. Cain when lives were on the line. What was now reduced from full-motion, full-emotion, memories to simple snap-shots and emotionless words.  
  
~20XX 2:49 PM February 5~  
An eight-year-old boy named Rock is playing ball with his sister, Roll.  
  
~20XX 3:22 PM February 5~  
An ambulance arrives to take the boy, having been hit by a truck, to the hospital. He is thought not to make it, but his uncle proposes a radical solution to his parents. They accept.  
  
~20XX 12:00 AM January 1 (the next year)~  

    
    **Main System Booting . . .  
    
      
    
    Booting Optic Sensors . . . . .Complete  
    
    Booting Auditory Sensors . . . Complete  
    
    Booting Tactile Sensors . . . .Complete  
    
    Booting Hard Drive . . . . . . Complete  
    
    Booting Directives . . . . . . Complete  
    
    Booting Weapon System . . .  
    
    Mega Buster . . . Online  
    
    Booting Weapon System . . . . .Complete  
    
      
    
    Boot Complete  
    
      
    
    Unit Designation: Mega Man  
    
    Unit Name: Rock  
    
      
    
    Unit Status: Online . . .  
    
      
    **

~21XX 4:26 PM April 14~  
**   
**
    
    Main System Booting . . .  
    
      
    
    Booting Optic Sensors . . . . .Complete  
    
    Booting Auditory Sensors . . . Complete  
    
    Booting Tactile Sensors . . . .Complete  
    
    Booting Hardware . . .  
    
    Hard Drives . . . .Online  
    
    Emotion Grid . . . Online  
    
    Ethics Chip . . . .Online  
    
    Booting Hardware . . . . . . . Complete  
    
    Booting Weapon System . . .  
    
    X Buster . . . . . Online  
    
    Booting Weapon System . . . . .Complete  
    
      
    
    Boot Complete  
    
      
    
    Unit Designation: Mega Man X  
    
    Unit Name: Rock  
    
      
    
    Unit Status: Online . . .  
    

  
"Hello, I'm Dr. Cain." These were the first words I ever heard, as I slowly but steadily exited my hibernation capsule, Hope.  
  
~23XX, Maverick Hunter HQ (two weeks prior)~  
  
"IT'S A GOD DAMN SUICIDE MISSON!" Zero bellowed.  
  
I sighed, Zero and Cain had been arguing for hours now. The mavericks it seemed, had, however briefly, somehow opened up a hole to another dimension. This was two months ago. We had spent weeks just figuring out that it was indeed an inter-dimensional wormhole, which had been open for about thirty seconds, and then promptly shut down, after delivering _something,_ what we didn't know. We were able to duplicate the energy sequence and sent through a probe, proving that there was in fact something to land on on the other side. The question then became, what exactly did the Mavericks send through? The why seemed obvious. The Mavericks were losing, and losing badly. A thirty-second window was not near large enough to be any kind of migration, so what, or who, had they sent back?  
  
Cain's stand was that we should not allow the problems of their dimension to contaminate others. Fine. Great. Looks good on paper. Just one problem. Whoever we sent to investigate was, in all probability, not coming back. The investigator had to be fast enough, strong enough, smart enough, and stable enough to not only find out what the Mavericks had done and stop them, but also be able to blend in and survive as well with a minimal chance of going maverick. These requirements significantly narrowed the possibilities of who could withstand said mission. It left me, and Zero was not giving me up without a fight. He really is a great friend.  
  
Zero and Cain argued endlessly. I, however had made my decision. I was going. Ever since Alia had died, I had been despondent. I don't think either of us had realized it, but we were in love. When we got up in the morning and chatted with each other about small things at the morning fuel up, to when I walked her to her door each night, we simply took pleasure in each other's company. When she died I was devastated. I knew I needed something new. I knew this was my chance.  
  
I had also made up his mind about another matter. Several years ago, we had found Dr. Light's last gift to me. It was a capsule, not just any capsule though. This was it, the final one. It would mean that Dr. Light, so many years after his death, would keep his promise to my parents. I would be restored to being fully human, almost. The capsule would have multiple effects. While my human flesh would be reborn from the genetic material I still carried, I would also be a cyborg. Each cell in my body would have a mechanical and biological element. In addition, my skeletal structure would be composed of Titanium X, making me tougher than an ordinary human. As a human I could eat, and systems in my stomach would convert some of the proteins to energy to charge my technological side. My immune system had nano-machines added to not only repair my half metallic nature, but to improve and shorten the general healing process. Not wanting the future to be defenseless however, at a moment's thought, I would be able to emphasize the technological portion of my cells, causing me to once again become X, and vice-versa. It also improved my X-buster to have variable modes, the standard charged shot, the piercing laser, and, in dire need, I could use the nova strike, which would use all but the vital energy in my body to power a single burst, but such an action would cause me to revert to my human form, leaving me nearly defenseless. I knew now, six months after her death that Alia was the only thing that had kept me from using the capsule sooner.  
  
"I'm going." I said quietly. Amazingly the two verbal combatants heard me.  
  
"What? You can't be serious…" Said Zero, trailing off as he looked forlornly at me.  
  
"I am serious Zero, I'm going to use Light's last capsule and then I'm going to go. I'm going to go stop whatever it is that the Mavericks have planned and then I'm going to retire. You know full well my heart's not in this anymore, I need a break. This is just a longer one than I'd originally planned on."  
  
"X, you have no…" Zero trailed off once more, sighed then said "Why do I try, you never change your mind." He slumped into a seat. "When does he leave?" This was directed at Cain who responded with a shrug.  
  
"Whenever he feels adjusted to his new body, I guess."  
  
~23XX, Underground lab 3:14 PM~  
  
I was adjusted now. As Rock I could, if clumsily, pass myself as a socially inept human who was shy and had little contact with others. As X I could switch between buster modes at a moments notice, and was switching between forms in instants now. What was initially a lengthy and horrific looking sequence of mutations to change was now a quick, slightly revolting, melting look that was down to about a second between forms.  
  
I looked at the capsule, Hope II. I walked slowly and entered as my fellow hunters whispered 'be careful's and 'be safe's at me. Cain had said 'good luck' to me. Zero, artificial tears growing in his eyes, had clapped a hand on my shoulder and whispered, "Be happy."  
  
I nodded, too full of emotion to trust myself to speak.  
  
_It's the last time I'll ever see them again…_  
  
I entered the pod, and with a final goodbye from the hunters, Zero closed the lid and readied the gear I was taking with me, then, in a brilliant flash of color, the wormhole opened and swallowed Hope II, me inside, closing the pre-specified thirty seconds later.  
  
~2010, Tokyo (Sailor Moon Dimension) 3:15~  
  
Hope II appeared in a small back alley, and I, opening my eyes, knew instinctively that this was where I was supposed to be. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I shook himself clear of thoughts and pod alike, and got to work.  
  
The probe had done its work well in the window it was allowed. It had recorded human life, identified the language used, and guessed the approximate technology level. Two hours later Hope II was reconstructed to convert from regular motorcycle to my custom land chaser and teleport to me at a thought. I shifted to Rock, and rode the bike to a nearby lot where I picked up a phone.   
  
To most the phone would have been useless, as the receiver was torn off; but it was advantageous to me, I shifted his left-forearm, connected the appropriate cables, hacked my way into the government's file system, and got down to the business of creating myself a life. I soon realized I would need funds. Enough funds to not have to worry about such things as a job for a while, I figured that it was not quite an abuse of my powers, as when I was hunting down the mavericks, I did not want to worry about paying the rent. A slight shift in my optical sensors, and I was reading the newspaper in side the stand next to me, reading the names of several crime bosses, the transferred money from their accounts to mive, reasoning that I was most likely putting the money to better use. I got myself a room at a fairly nice hotel for the evening, to give me an address to ship the things I would need for more permanent residence. I gave myself a Masters degree in computers.   
  
_After all, I _am_ a computer, how hard could it be to program the ones here?_  
  
I settled on a midtown apartment that wasn't too expensive, but showed that I was moderately well off. At last, my work done, I went to my hotel, and after a brief chat with the clerks went up to my room to await my driver's license, credit cards, and apartment key. I didn't sleep much that night.  



	2. Bad Day, Worse Night

Chapter 2 – Bad Day, Worse Night  
  
I was still awake the next morning when my internal clocks hit six am. Ironically they still sent a buzzing through me, even though it was pretty clear I was conscious. I could go a few days without sleep if I had too, but I still felt a bit guilty at missing a night's sleep.  
  
About a half hour later I received a call.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Mr. Light, sir, there are several packages here for you. Shall I have them sent up?"  
  
"Yes thank you, that would be fine."  
  
"A bell boy will be up shortly. Have a pleasant stay Mr. Light."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
About ten minutes later the bell boy was leaving, tip in hand, and I set out to get changed. I pulled a loose black t-shirt over my head, noting that my dark brown hair needed to be combed again. I sighed.  
  
_Why bother. It'll just look like this again in ten minutes. That was something I liked about being a machine. Oh, well._  
  
I put on some faded blue jeans and a navy blue jacket. I looked down with my green eyes at the one thing in my things that hadn't been on the checklist. A ring. The ring had a silver band that separated in the middle to hold an onyx gem not unlike my helmet's crystal. In the center of the stone was a sky blue 'X', looking for all the world as if it floated in the center of the gem.  
  
_Maybe it does. It is from home after all._  
  
The ring was a going away present from Zero. I smiled at the memory of my friend and partner. I would miss our conversations together. I chuckled a little remembering most of our conversations were about embarrassing moments. Most of which were Zero getting slapped by some female reploid over a _really_ bad pick up line. The lines were pretty funny, even if Zero did usually sulk for awhile after he got shot down. All in all, it was good fun. Zero could easily laugh at himself once it was past.  
  
I halted my side trip down memory lane and finished getting my things together. I put my credit cards in my wallet and packed my things. I checked out and went to a quiet restaurant for an early breakfast.  
  
_What should I do first?_  
  
Hunting down the mavericks came to mind almost immediately, but I discarded the notion. I had no idea where they were. I needed information.  
  
_The probe._  
  
That was a good idea. It was programmed to continue to collect data on the people here, as well as scan for maverick activity, even after the first portal shut, so it was the best source for reliable news. Also, I didn't like the thought of what would happen if it were found, its technology level was far superior to what was commonly found here, and humans were naturally curious. And if it were somehow traced back to me…  
  
_The results will not be pleasant._  
  
I paid in cash for my food and hopped on my bike. I pulled on my helmet, dead black with the maverick hunter symbol, which was little more than a circle with a slash through it on top of the maverick's Sigma symbol. I chuckled.  
  
The running joke is that Cain designed it when he was drunk. Probably not far off either.  
  
I took off to the last coordinates sent by the probe, hoping that it would be close enough for me to pick up on its signal.  
  
~2010, The Park, 11:43 AM~  
  
_This cannot be a good thing._  
  
I was near the last coordinates that the probe had sent. There were marks in the ground where the observational unit had sat. Now it was gone. It was also nowhere in the immediate vicinity. I had checked just about everywhere, I had even scanned the nearby trash containers for it. It was not there. It was not knocked into the bushes. It was not under a bench.  
  
_Okay. Best case scenario._  
  
The best case scenario was that a small child had picked it up thinking it was a toy. The probe wasn't harmful in any way, and hopefully I would pick up on it before some parent got curious.  
  
On the other hand, the worst case scenario was that a maverick had picked it up. Now they'd be expecting hunters to come after them. Maybe they wouldn't be expecting me personally, but they would expect an attack now.  
  
I sighed. The most likely scenario was that an adult, reasoning human had picked it up, and was wondering just what the hell it was. I just hoped it never reached anyone in authority. I sighed.  
  
I didn't say it often. It was just a waste of energy and thought. Saying it was the mark of a primitive life form surrendering to frustration. But sometimes, nothing else seems to fit.  
  
"Crap."  
  
  
Well, I won't accomplish anything sitting here. I'll go check into the apartment and rest for awhile. Something will come up.  
  
~2010, Road, 12:16 PM~  
  
I skidded to a halt at the sight of the explosion in front of me. I'm just glad that there was no one behind me, at the time, or I would have had trouble explaining the lack of damage to me or the bike. I turned the bike around and got off the road at the previous intersection, proceeding down an alley. I got off and changed forms.  
  
_Finaly. Mavericks._  
  
I leapt to the top of the building, using the fire escape for leverage, and proceeded to close on the situation. I looked down at the mavericks from above investigating the situation. As Zero used to say: 'Never walk into a situation blind'. And I didn't. Well, not if I could help it anyway.  
  
_Just low level flunkeys. Oh, well, I should take them out before some humans get hurt._  
  
I jumped down onto street level, firing on the very breakable, very disposable, little guys with a vengeance. They fell easily, and I noted that I was drawing a crowd. I teleported out to my land chaser, and, since there was no one there, changed back to my human form and rode off.  
  
_I need to relax a little more._  
  
~2010, Halo Apartments, 1:24 PM~  
  
I sighed.  
  
_Today has not been a good day._   
I had run out of work when news of an attack downtown came in over the radio playing in the back room. I had called the other scouts, and we had arrived on the scene, only to find someone had beat us to the punch. The only thing there was mangled metal, as the internal wiring had a tendency to melt itself when the bodies were defeated. The few intact samples Amy had were because she managed to freeze them before this could happen.  
  
We barely even knew what they were! They seemed to be youma from their attitudes, but they were mechanical. At the same time, Amy was finding trace amounts of negative energy in them, and that was a little spooky. Amy suggested that these are just advances machines using refined negative energy as a power source, and we were of the opinion that Amy, like always, was probably right.  
  
In any event, I went back to the diner. And I was fired pretty much on the spot. I had just run out on work three days in a row, so this was going to happen anyway, but it still hurt.  
  
_We never can get a break, can we? If I could sell some of my paintings, I wouldn't have to look for jobs like this._  
  
I stepped off the elevator at the 'bling' sound and walked through the _extremely_ overheated hallways to my apartment, where Darien and I lived. As I got there, I saw a guy, obviously new, trying to open the door to the apartment next to ours, and balance a box on his head with his other arm. He almost had the door open when the box decided to fall back toward the floor. He struggled to steady it, and I rushed over and grabbed the box to help. I helped him get it into both arms, and he set it inside the open door before turning to me.  
  
"Thank you for your help. My name is Rock Light. I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Ms. …?"  
  
"Tsukino. Serena Tsukino. You must be our new neighbor."  
  
He smiled a little.  
  
"Yes, I suppose I am. I thank you for the help Ms. Tsukino. Forgive me, but I have no more time to chat, I am a bit… preoccupied at the moment. Perhaps another time.  
  
_Wow! This guy's pretty stiff. But, he's probably got things on his mind. Maybe he's a little shy too._  
  
I smiled warmly at him and extended my hand.  
  
"That's fine. I'm sure we'll see each other around Rock. I've got some things to do as well."  
  
He took my hand and shook it, as if he knew what to do, but wasn't used to it. It was a little stiff and formal.  
  
_Definitely shy. But he'll loosen up._  
  
I smiled again and walked away, opening the door into my own room. I dropped my purse on the couch, and continued almost without pause to the bathroom, where I sat in front of the mirror. I went about fixing my make-up, and my thoughts drifted back to the guy moving in, Rock. Something about the guy was strangely… well, strange, to be honest. I frowned.  
  
_I'm being a little unfair. I just met the guy after all. But still…_  
  
Rock's skin seemed a little cool, about what the temperature in the hall _should_ have been, if the heater weren't on in there, unusual for summer. Then there was that handshake, he definitely wasn't used to doing that.  
  
_But what kind of person has never shaken hands before?_  
  
I sighed again, my brain turning over easier problems instead of what I should have been thinking about, our new enemies. I yawned and redid the 'meatballs' that I kept my hair in. I concentrated on my reflected image and saw myself blink. I dropped my hair as it hit me. That was what was off. Rock hadn't blinked, not once in our entire conversation had Rock blinked.  
  
_Weird._  
  
I picked up my hair again and re-secured my hair into my nearly trademark style. I left the bathroom, shutting off the light as I did so. Moving my purse to a new home o the floor, I collapsed on the couch, and tried to force myself to figure out what exactly these enemies were, what they wanted, and, most importantly, how to stop them from getting it.  
  
What they were was strange. These new enemies were fighting in a style we'd never come across before. They didn't fight like youma, a single tough opponent coming at us. For the first time in awhile, we were continually outnumbered. The majority of the robots were weak, but there were enough of them that we were quickly worn down. Then there was always one of them that commanded the others. These ones were tough, but we could take them out under most circumstances. But not when we were tired out by the rest of the little ones. They usually just laughed, banged us up, and left. It was all very frustrating.  
  
As to why they were here, I couldn't even make a guess. They would just laugh, blow things up, kill people, and leave. They didn't steal from people, they didn't take energy, they just killed and left.  
  
_It's as if they don't care about anything but terrorizing us…_   
I sat bolt upright on the couch as I realized I could very well be right.  
  
~2010, Mizuno Residence, 5:18 PM~  
  
I stared at it. I had found it in the park today, as I walked through on my way to the library. Mechanics and advanced programming weren't my ordinary areas of study, but with these new attacks, something had to be done to figure out what made them tick. As I walked through, I had noticed its black casing reflect the sunlight. With no one looking, I got out my Mercury computer and scanned the thing, only to find that the thing, whatever it was, had technology that was not of our world. It was a small black orb, perhaps six or seven inches in diameter with two ski-like stands on the bottom, and a couple of antennae on the top of it. I got my computer to interface temporarily with it, and shut it down. Further analysis proved that it had the dame basic technological circuit patterns as the robots we had been fighting.  
  
From what she could tell from the schematics her computer had made of it, it was some type of probe, designed to study aspects of human life, as well as scan for some other frequencies. I gulped. If this was an enemy probe, it definitely meant that an invasion was coming, if not already here. Unless something changed, we were all in serious trouble.  
  
I decided against my better judgment to turn it back on, and see what it scanned for. It immediately began searching for a certain frequency. I input that frequency into my computer and set it to scan as well. Almost instantly a map of the neighborhood came up. On it was a blinking signal that was moving steadily past. Then, it stopped for a second before heading straight for my house. I grabbed my communicator quickly and called the other scouts. I was in serious trouble.  
  
~2010, Residential Area, 5:21 PM~  
  
_This is a bad idea._  
  
But, I was doing it anyways.  
  
I had decided that the easiest way to figure out more of what the mavericks were doing was to get them to come to me. I was scouting a residential neighborhood in my armored form, knowing my mechanical functions let out a certain frequency, grumbling at the lack of security in a place this densely populated with civilians. A maverick attack would rip through here in seconds.  
  
_But, I suppose it's understandable. They don't even know what a maverick is._  
  

    
    ***BLEEP*  
    
    Signal Detected  
    
    Confirmed: Probability of Probe 98.9%  
    
    Location . . .**  
    
      
    

From there, a map ran through my mind. I stopped for a second to confirm its location, then turned around and headed for the signal. I'd figure out haw to get it from the house it was in when I got there.  
  
I was almost to the appropriate house when I picked up on something else, and stopped again.  
  

    
    ***BLEEP*  
    
    Six energy sources found**  
    
      
    

Added to the map in my head were now six new powers. I spun. Five of them were clustered together on top of the roof of a nearby community center, moon behind them, illuminating only their silhouettes, while the sixth was just below and off to the side of them on top of a lamp post. Then they were shouting at me. Most of it wasn't important, except that when the one in the center shouted something about punishing me, I couldn't help it. I really couldn't. I laughed. I laughed long and hard. I stopped laughing when I had to dodge the gout of flame that was coming for me. I smiled and powered up my buster.  
  
_This is going to be one hell of a night._


	3. Neighbors and Reploids

Chapter 3 - Neighbors and Reploids  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~2010, Residential District, 6:42 PM~  
  
_Something's wrong here. I don't know what yet, but I'll figure it out._  
  
I frowned as I dodged an ice attack from the 'blue one'. Careful examination revealed that there was no energy port on the subject.  
  
_I've seen electric attacks just jump off of a reploid's body before, but fire and ice attacks?_  
  
I frowned again as I dodged a 'Crescent Beam Smash' by leaping to the street below.  
  
_This is not maverick style._  
  
Powerful mavericks did not work together. Their arrogance made such an endeavor impossible, as they would argue and scheme until they destroyed each other. Each also had large compliments of weaker reploids to do their bidding and act as cannon fodder for their army. Most high level mavericks also were opposed to shapes anywhere near _this_ human looking, they considered the animals they took their shapes from to be far superior to the human species.  
  
_Unless these are the weaker ones…_  
  
My eyes narrowed as they dodged my X-buster. Some of them had moved into a good defensive position, the others had not. The extreme logic that mass produced reploids instinctively had was what made some humans still think of them as common robots. These, despite their similar uniforms, moved in no set attack pattern that he could detect. They simply reacted at random, with absolutely no organization. The last time I had seen that on the battle field was when a bunch of humans…  
  
_I couldn't be… scan enemy forces!_  
  
**Scanning. . . . . .   
Scan Complete.  
  
Results:   
Biological Organism  
Energy Type: Unknown**  
  
_Great. I've been firing on some weird type of human that this dimension possesses. Peachy. Okay. Think fast X, think fast._  
  
I rolled out from behind the car I was kneeling behind just as it was incinerated by a 'Mars Firebird Strike', and made a vain attempt to repair my tarnished reputation.  
  
"Stop firing!"  
  
It did not appear to work as the one in the tuxedo threw a rose at me.   
  
"Hey watch it!"   
  
I then had to duck a large leaf accompanied by the phrase…  
  
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"   
  
"That could have really hurt!"   
  
"Mars Flame Sniper!"   
  
"Cease Freaking Fire!!!!!!"   
  
"Venus Crescent Beam Shower!"   
  
"Do the words STOP FIRING AT ME mean anything to you people!"   
  
"Mercury Ice Bubble Blast!"   
  
_Guess not, I'm getting out of here._  
  
I turned and, while dodging the ice shards being sent my way, ran for an alley.  
  
"Venus Love Me Chain!"  
  
Suddenly there was, surprise, a chain around my ankles, and I dropped to the ground. I quickly rolled to the side, dodging another rose thrown in my direction, and fired a few wild shots to scatter the others momentarily. Then I fired another quick few rounds into the chain, causing it to break. Once freed, I jumped to my feet only to find myself surrounded.  
  
_Oh, right. This is just what I needed tonight. To be taken out by a bunch of really weird humans._  
  
Then, I grinned as something came to me. A thought later, the land chaser was at my side and ready for action. I hopped on and rushed them. I smiled at my get away.  
  
Then I heard something behind me. I turned to look. I said it again.  
  
"Crap."  
  
The only male among them. The guy who would have looked significantly less out of place at a dinner party. The one who had kept throwing _roses_ at me, was tailing me on a bike of his own.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~2010, Streets, 6:49 PM~  
  
I raced down the highway on my motorcycle after the blue robot that I had been fighting before. I though back to the battle. It was decidedly odd. A hundred questions flooded through my mind.  
  
_It's not acting at all like the ones we've fought before. Where are its minions? Hell, why is it our size? The others were the size of large trucks!  
  
And why the hell did it try to reason with us?_  
  
I shook myself out of my thoughts and took a look around. I had lost him. With a large sigh I rode back to near where I had left Serena. I changed back to my normal clothes and continued on to Amy's place. I noticed the girls still on one of the adjacent rooftops, leaping away when they saw me in my normal clothes. I waited patiently for my fiancé, and a few minutes later she walked out of the shadows across the road and over to me.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"I'm not too sure, but I lost him. One minute he was there, the next he wasn't."  
  
_There is no way I'm telling her I lost him because I spaced out. After all the times I've teased her, I'd never hear the end of it._  
  
She sighed.  
  
"At least no one was killed this time."  
  
"Yes, at least there's that."  
  
We rode the rest of the way home in silence, and I once more turned my mind to the robot's strange behavior.  
  
We got home to the apartment building about fifteen minutes later. As we pulled in we parked next to our new neighbor, Rock Light, who was getting some small groceries out of his bike's storage compartment.  
  
"Hi Rock!"  
  
How Serena could be that full of pep after the day she'd had was beyond me. Her resiliency was simply astounding. I busied myself with making sure that my bike was fine from my little excursion into downtown Tokyo. I hadn't put _too_ serious a strain on it, but you could never be too careful either. Serena occupied herself talking to Rock as I checked everything carefully. Satisfied that everything was as it should be, I stood and wiped my hands off on my pants. Serena gave me a disapproving glare.  
  
"You shouldn't wipe your hands on your pants like that Darien."  
  
I was slightly amused at her admonition, I responded somewhat sarcastically.  
  
"Yes mother."  
  
She cuffed me lightly on the arm with a smile on her lips.  
  
"Come on, I invited Rock up for coffee. He said he'd be there as soon as he put some things away."  
  
I sighed a little.  
  
"Not too long, right? I'm not much company after everything that's happened today."  
  
"No, not too long, but welcoming him in is the neighborly thing to do."  
  
I nodded, and we proceeded to the elevators, my arm around her waist.  
  
_I suppose it will be a nice change of pace from fighting robots all over the city._  
  
This evening's battle had been short, but intense, and I could tell that the little blue robot was far superior to the others we had fought in terms of strength and skill. I wasn't exactly having the best night.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~2010, Halo Apartments, Serena and Darien's Apartment, 7:32 PM~  
  
I laughed at Serena's joke. I didn't quite understand everything involved, but that was fine, the joke was still funny.  
  
_I haven't had this much fun in a long time. Not since then, anyways…_  
  
A flood of gruesome images threatened to overwhelm my mind, and I clamped the lid down.  
  
_None of that tonight._   
The phone rang then, and Serena went to answer it. Then, my internal sensors set off inside my head.  
  
**WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!  
Energy Signature Match!  
In presence of life forms encountered today at approximately 0640 hours!  
95% Probability  
PROCEED WITH EXTREME CAUTION!**  
  
_Well, at least I'm sure that they're human now. No maverick would even pretend to live as a human. That's one weight of my mind Now if only…_  
  
**WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!  
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!  
Maverick Signature Detected!  
Maverick Signature Detected!  
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!  
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!**  
  
_And tonight was going so well too. Why me?_  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~2010, Mizuno Residence, 7:34 PM~  
  
I smiled. With the data that my computer had picked up on this last robot, I was fairly sure that my computer could pick up on the robots wherever they were. They all emitted a certain frequency.  
  
_And now that I know what exactly what it is, I can set my computer to find them and Triangulate their position. Soon we'll know where they are!_  
  
I went over to my computer and ran the new program. A map displayed itself and two dots appeared almost immediately. One was at 36th and Jewel, and the other was headed there. Fast.  
  
_36th and Jewel. Why does that sound so familiar… Serena and Darien!_  
  
I rushed for the phone and hit Serena's number on speed dial.  
  
_Come on… come on… pick up already!!_  
  
"Hel…"  
  
I cut Serena off.  
  
"GET OUT NOW!! One of those machines is already in your building and there's another on its way…!"  
  
Then I heard a crash, and the phone went dead. Fighting off feelings of dread, I dialed the temple, and hoped that Serena and Darien would live long enough for us to get there.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~2010, Halo Apartments, Serena and Darien's Apartment, 7:35 PM~  
  
"Hel…"  
  
That was about all I got out before I heard Amy's panicked voice scream.  
  
"GET OUT NOW!!"  
  
Amy then said some other things I didn't quite catch, but that didn't matter as I dropped the phone and hurried into the living room as I heard a loud crash, and some muffled cursing from Darien. I got there just in time to see Darien getting up from where the explosion had tossed him, and Rock grappling with a large blue humanoid bird. The bird then picked Rock up and threw him through a wall. Oddly enough, it was the wall into his own apartment.  
  
_I hope Rock doesn't see this…_  
  
I changed into Sailor Moon, and was about ready to start my speech when a bright, blinking, purple light flashed behind it, and there were noticeable crunching sounds. It howled in pain, and stumbled forward. I wheeled about and looked out the hole it had created coming in. As I saw the burn marks on its back I decided that bellowing was its normal tone of voice.  
  
"WHO DARES!!"  
  
Then it charged out the window, breaking my living room wall some more as it spread its wings for flight.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~2010, Adjacent Rooftop, 7:36 PM~  
  
I had shifted to X as soon as I had hit the wall, and hoped to whatever looked after the theoretical reploidal soul that Serena and Darien hadn't seen me do it. I teleported in mid air to a nearby rooftop, then fired off a few rounds of plasma energy at the back of the reploid I now recognized as Storm Eagle.  
  
_They're scraping the bottom of the barrel aren't they?_  
  
The blue 'big bird' stumbled from my shots, and turned around, bellowing.  
  
"WHO DARES!!"  
  
Then he spotted me, and I unloaded a few more plasma rounds at him. He flew straight at me, and I leapt nimbly out of the way as Serena and Darien in their alternate forms landed on the rooftop behind me.  
  
I launched a few more salvos at him, and decided to enjoy myself a little.  
  
"Surprise!!"  
  
He wheeled again, and this time actually took my appearance in. He gaped for a moment. The spluttered.  
  
"Impossible! There is no possible way for you stupid hunters to be here!"  
  
"I didn't think it was possible for you to be reconstructed after the number I pulled on you last time we tangled, Stormy old pal, but look at you now!"  
  
I dodged a tornado sent out by Storm Eagle and winced at the ripping sound behind me. I turned and looked, not really wanting to see what had happened. The tornado had ripped a three or four foot round hole clean through the building. I gulped.  
  
_This is not the same old Storm Eagle I could beat twice before breakfast on a bad day. This is Storm Eagle on steroids!_  
  
Then he started his diving/ramming trick. I was frankly a little surprised he hadn't broken the sound barrier yet. I had enough trouble just trying to dodge his moves. I got off a few rounds, but I didn't have the time to charge a stronger blast, and my normal attack wasn't doing much but ruin his paint job.  
  
"Jupiter Thunder Crash!"  
  
Storm Eagle suddenly stopped in mid air and started twitching violently. I grinned. I quickly converted my buster to its piercing mode. I watched the rather stubby cannon type blaster elongate itself to what more closely resembled a rifle barrel. I charged, took aim, and fired. Storm Eagle managed to snap out of it just in time to watch the bolt hit him between the eyes.  
  
I looked around. There were all of the people from earlier. The silence was rather pregnant.  
  
_Never thought I'd be happy to see humans run onto a battlefield…_  
  
I gave them a mock salute, and teleported away, back into my apartment. I looked at the rubble and tried to figure out where I would have landed. I half buried myself underneath the rubble, and took a nap.  
  
**System Reboot T-15 Minutes**  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~2010, Halo Apartments, Rock's Apartment, 7:45 PM~  
  
I frowned, examining the body before me. I had used the fact that I was a doctor worried about my friends to get in, and the police had directed me to this guy. By everything Serena had said, this 'Rock' character should be dead, but despite to collapsed rubble about him, he seemed to barely have more than a few superficial cuts and bruises on him. With police presence, I couldn't use my computer, but there was something about this guy that inexplicably strange. Then he seemed to blink slowly, and I found my staring into the most innocent looking green eyes I had ever seen… 


	4. Questions Without Answers

Chapter 4 - Questions Without Answers  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~2010, Halo Apartments 7:45 PM~  
  
I just sat there, kneeling over this guy I didn't know, staring into his eyes.  
  
_I could get lost in those eyes…_  
  
"Um, miss?"  
  
The owner of the eyes that I was staring into like a twit spoke, and I blushed and stood quickly, averting my gaze when I realized what I was doing. I tried to cover my embarrassment, but I don't think it worked.  
  
"Y-you don't seem to have too much wrong with you all things considered, so, um… I-I'll be going."  
  
"Wait."  
  
I turned back as he was easily picking himself up off the ground.  
  
_Great, what now?_  
  
"Yes?"  
  
He looked at me a little strangely.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
_Of course, what else would he want, coming to with some stranger staring down at him?_  
  
"Oh, that, well, after you hit the wall and collapsed, whatever that thing was flew out of the building and then the Sailor Scouts came and some weird blue guy showed up."  
  
He looked thoughtful for a moment.  
  
"Then what?"  
  
I shrugged.  
  
_What's with this guy?_  
  
"They beat the bird-thing and leapt off like they always do. The blue guy just disappeared.  
  
"Ah…"  
  
He had a far off look in his eyes as he spoke, and I wasn't sure what to make of it.  
  
_Strange guy…_  
  
Still slightly flustered, I headed over to where Serena and Darien were. Serena looked at me with concern in her eyes.  
  
"How is he?"  
  
"Hmmm? Oh, your neighbor? Fine, fine…"  
  
Darien looked at me funny.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
I blushed a little.  
  
"Nothing…"  
  
He still looked at me strangely, but dropped it. Serena smiled, and I asked a question to forestall any teasing.  
  
"Do you have a place to stay?"  
  
She nodded, but Darien spoke.  
  
"We're staying at the temple with Rei."  
  
It was my turn to nod now.  
  
"Well, I should be going…"  
  
Serena smiled again.  
  
"Thanks for coming to check up on us, Amy. Bye."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~2010, Halo Apartments 7:50 PM~  
  
It was more than a little unnerving asking the blue haired 'Sailor Scout' what happened out there, but had to be sure that my cover story matched with hers, or I'd be in trouble with local authority figures.  
  
_Still, it had to be done. I can't compromise myself. Not now. I can't help but wonder if she's on to me though…_  
  
I was shaken out of my thoughts by a man wearing a blue uniform.  
  
"Hey you, the doctor gave you a clean bill of health, so how about answering some questions, huh?"  
  
_Must be local law enforcement._  
  
"Certainly, but my name is Rock Light."  
  
The officer looked a little disgruntled, but the look passed.  
  
"Fine, Mr. Light. What happened here?"  
  
"I'm not really too sure. I've only just moved in, so I was having some coffee with my neighbors, then suddenly, a blue version of Big Bird comes in through the wall over there. I tried to stop it from hurting anyone, but it tossed me through a wall with no effort, then I blacked out. When I came to, there was a blue haired woman leaning over me."  
  
"Woman? Oh, right the doctor."  
  
He sighed, a little disappointed it seemed.  
  
"Well that matches with what else I've heard this evening. I'll call if I have any more questions."  
  
"I will be pleased to answer them. But how will you get a hold of me? I don't think my apartment will be habitable for some time. I may have to get a hotel."  
  
"Which one?"  
  
His tone was a little sharp.  
  
"I've just been thrown through a wall. I don't plan these things in advance."  
  
The policman looked a little sheepish.  
  
"Sorry, reflex…"  
  
"No offense taken."  
  
_That guy has issues…_  
  
I walked over to where Serena and Darien were standing.  
  
_I may be out of trouble with the police, but they might know something._  
  
Serena smiled at my approach, eliminating most of my earlier fears.  
  
"Are you okay? Amy said you were, but it never hurts to ask."  
  
"Amy?"  
  
"Oh, sorry. The woman looking over you for injuries was my friend Amy. She's a real worry wart."  
  
"I'm fine. Thank you for asking. Tonight certainly didn't turn out the was it was planned did it?"  
  
Darien smiled a little, and my fears were all but eliminated.  
  
"Definitely. So much for welcoming you to the building…"  
  
_I've had worse welcomes before…_  
  
I paused to remember Vile standing in front of Sigma's lair.  
  
"…you staying?"  
  
I had missed the first part of Serena's question but the meaning was clear.  
  
"I will find a hotel. What about you?"  
  
"We're staying with another friend."  
  
I smiled.  
  
"Well, I must be going. See you later."  
  
Serena's voice echoed after me.  
  
"Bye!"  
  
I waved over my shoulder, packed some things, and hopped on my bike. It was about an hour later that I was sleeping in a hotel room.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~2010, Mizuno Residence 10:43 AM~  
  
I grumbled a bit as I looked for my car keys. Ordinarily, this wouldn't be a problem of significance enough to cause me to mutter so.  
  
_But if I don't find them soon I'll be late. I'm sure they were down here on my lab table…_  
  
I covered my eyes with one hand and groaned.  
  
_I left them on the kitchen counter so the acetylene torch wouldn't melt them like last time._  
  
I grabbed the keys off the counter, and hurried out to the car.  
  
_Maybe I will be on time…_  
  
The construction crews had finally finished with the Halo apartment building the day before, and I was meeting with Serena and Darien for lunch to discuss the new attacks.  
  
_After all these years of things getting blown up, I'm glad the construction crews are so much faster now._  
  
I glanced at the stadium as I passed by.  
  
_Things have been pretty quiet lately._  
  
An explosion of incredible magnitude ripped through the intersection, and I scanned for the epicenter of the disturbance. The stadium had a brand new hole in it, and in the center of it was one of those robots we'd been fighting. It was tall and two shades of green, and had the tail end of a helicopter sticking out of its butt. Its light, diaphanous wings gave it the appearance of a humanoid dragonfly. It had four smaller, more traditional-looking dragonflies surrounding it, and these were firing into the fleeing crowd.  
  
_Guess I spoke too soon…_  
  
I exited my car, not all that unusual, people were fleeing their vehicles left and right in an attempt to escape the monstrosity in the stadium. I noted with a little concern that the traffic jam caused by the accidents caused by the explosion was blocking the local fire station, and that they would not be very effective as a result.  
  
_Guess it's up to me then…_  
  
I ran for a deserted alley and felt the familiar rush of power as I changed into Sailor Mercury. I jumped to the top of the building and looked down. I paused, not really understanding what was going on. The dragonfly thing now had only a single target. A blue robot standing protectively over a little girl, no more than eight years old. From its performance the previous evening, I knew that the blue robot had incredible agility, but it stood rooted to the ground, taking all kinds of hits.  
  
_Almost as if he's protecting the child…_  
  
The robot glanced back at the girl every now and then, lips moving.  
  
_Probably trying to get the girl to move, but she's to scared to do anything…_  
  
Looking into the crowd, I saw a woman who was most likely the girl's mother, as a police officer was holding her back from charging in. I made my decision.  
  
"Shabon Spray!" (Thanks to etj4Eagle for the correction - Neverwhere)  
  
The magical mist launched, I jumped to the ground, where the blue robot was checking the girl for injuries. He spoke to me without looking up.  
  
"Nice trick. Now take the girl to her mother over there before this wears off or Yammark decides to fire randomly."  
  
As if to punctuate his point, several blasts were being fired off to the side of us. My mist started to thin out.  
  
"Go. Now."  
  
"Right."  
  
I picked up the girl and ran, the Shabon Spray ending a moment later. Now freed of his watch over the child, I saw the blue thing's agility return, but somewhat hampered by the damage to his leg. As I returned the girl to her mother's waiting arms, the green thing I now took to be 'Yammark' spoke, his voice filling the street.  
  
"Really X, could you be _any_ more pathetic? Why do you continue to protect these weak, flawed humans? They hold back our progress!"  
  
'X' yelled himself, sounding as angry as Yammark.  
  
"Reploids are flawed as well Yammark! Mavericks like yourself simple choose not to see it!"  
  
Yammark fired as he spoke now, ranting.  
  
"Sure we see it! But the flaws of reploids are correctable! You simply have to be upgraded when the next advancement comes around! We are the superior race! We are…"  
  
X took a hit and went down on one knee, obviously exhausted. My computer traced power concentrating in X's cannon. A lot of power. He called out, interrupting Yammark's insane yelling.  
  
"Yammark?"  
  
Yammark motioned with his hand, and the four smaller dragonflies surrounded the damaged blue robot.  
  
"Yes X?"  
  
"Go to hell. And this time, STAY THERE!"  
  
His voice increased in volume to a roar as he spoke and fired of the energy in his cannon as one large blast. The blast punched a whole through Yammark's chest, causing him to explode and drop lifelessly to the ground. The dragonflies followed a moment later. X then fully collapsed and rolled onto his back, electricity sparking out of his wounds. I ran over to him, feeling oddly concerned. He looked me with unfocused eyes, and his voice slurred as he talked.  
  
"The girl okay?"  
  
I spoke quietly, not sure I was hearing right.  
  
_Is he really concerned?_  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Good…"  
  
After he answered, he immediately collapsed and slid into unconsciousness. My sister scouts appeared then, jumping from the rooftops. Sailor Mars was concerned, and rushed over to me.  
  
"What happened here?"  
  
My voice was still soft as I examined the face below me.  
  
"I'm not sure…"  
  
I thought for a moment as the others looked around the scene. I spoke with a little more volume as I made a decision.  
  
"Help me get them back to my place. And be careful with the blue one, I don't think he's dead."  
  
Lita looked at me like I was crazy.  
  
"What! You want to take a _live_ one of _them_ back to your house?!"  
  
I sighed as mind flashed back to the events earlier.  
  
"That's the thing. I don't think he's with them. He was trying to defend a child."  
  
No one really spoke as we transported the robots, one live and one dead back to my house.  
  
_What if I'm wrong? What if this 'X' is no different than the others?_  
  
I shook my self mentally.  
  
_No. I saw the look in his eyes. He wanted that girl to be safe._  
  
I sighed.  
  
_Though why is another story._  
  
We reached my home and deposited my newest acquisitions in the basement, laying X carefully on an empty lab table. Rei looked around.  
  
"It's become a junkyard down here. What now?"  
  
I smiled at Rei's attempt at humor.  
  
"Go. I can handle things here."  
  
Rei shook her head.  
  
"I am not leaving you alone in this place with that one over there still alive!"  
  
I sighed.  
  
"I won't reactivate him without calling you guys first alright? I'll be fine."  
  
Rei grumbled, but complied.  
  
_He'll probably wake up on his own anyways…_  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~2010, Mizuno Residence, 3:30 PM~  
  

    
    **Main System Booting . . .  
    
      
    
    Booting Optic Sensors . . . . .Complete  
    
    Booting Auditory Sensors . . . Complete  
    
    Booting Tactile Sensors . . . .Complete  
    
    Booting Hardware . . .  
    
    Hard Drives . . . .Online  
    
    Emotion Grid . . . Online  
    
    Ethics Chip . . . .Online  
    
    Booting Hardware . . . . . . . Complete  
    
    Booting Weapon System . . .  
    
    X Buster . . . . . Error  
    
    Booting Weapon System . . . . .Incomplete  
    
      
    
    Boot Complete  
    
      
    
    Unit Designation: Mega Man X  
    
    Unit Name: Rock  
    
      
    
    System Diagnostic:  
    
      
    
    Leg Units: 15% Damage  
    
    Status: Functional  
    
      
    
    Torso Unit: 30% Damage  
    
    Status: Impaired  
    
    Details: 'Rock' disabled, damage critical for organic tissue.  
    
      
    
    Left Arm Unit: 5% damage  
    
    Status: Functional  
    
      
    
    Right Arm Unit: 40% damage  
    
    Status: Impaired  
    
    Details: X Buster Disabled  
    
      
    
    Head Unit: 15% Damage  
    
    Status: Impaired  
    
    Details: Memory needs to be recompiled  
    
      
    
    Core Unit: 20% Damage  
    
    Status: Functional  
    
      
    
    Repair Function: Active  
    
    ETR(Estimated Time to Recovery): 5 hrs.  
    
      
    
    Unit Status: Online . . .**  
    
      
    

I opened my eyes and took a look around. The place I was in resembled a scrap heap.  
  
_Of course, with the way I feel, who's to say I don't belong here…_  
  
I groaned in pain as I sat up, every joint in my body protesting.  
  
_At least I'm off the street._  
  

    
    **Energy Lock: 'Sailor Scout'  
    
    Unit 'Blue one'**  
    
      
    

There was a sound from the stairs, and she came down. I moved forward to where she was… and stopped dead.  
  
_Her eyes…_  
  
Her eyes were a very deep blue, and they brought memories unbidden to my mind, and I shoved them down. I backed up, and tripped over Commander Yammark's head, landing on my butt. I blushed, embarrassed.  
  
"H-hello…"  
  
_Amy… that's what Serena called her._  
  
She smiled at me, and spoke.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
The memories came back in a rush, and I was lost in their flood. 


	5. Pain and Confusion

Chapter 5 - Pain and Confusion  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~23XX, Satellite Hunter Base, 3:13 PM (Over Six Months Prior)~  
  
"Are you okay? X, are you paying any attention to me?"  
  
Alia looked at me with a mock-angered frown on her face. I blushed in embarrassment.  
  
"Oh, sorry…"  
  
She smiled then, and my artificial heart beat a little faster.  
  
"That's okay, but you were staring right through me. What's on your mind X?"  
  
"Oh, not much, just that we're rather exposed out here."  
  
_Actually, I was looking into your eyes. How the heck am I supposed to explain that?_  
  
She smiled some more, then her face contorted, and she burst out laughing, sounding almost like a spring morning.  
  
_If such a thing can have a sound attributed to it._  
  
"X, did anyone ever tell you you're a bad liar? Tell me the truth! I want to know!"  
  
I turned my back, crossing my arms over my chest.  
  
"I don't want to talk about it."  
  
She laughed harder then, giggling like a schoolgirl.  
  
"You hang out with Zero too much X! You're really starting to sound like him now!"  
  
I turned, a credulous grin on my face as I looked at her. Or rather I looked at her eyes. They were so full of hope and life.  
  
"Really?"  
  
She grinned some more.  
  
"No. Not really. And it's a good thing too. I don't know if the world could handle two Hunters as pigheaded as Zero."  
  
I calmed a little, a soft smile framing my mouth.  
  
"Perhaps you're right."  
  
"But seriously now, I'm your friend, tell me!"  
  
_Great, how do I get out of this?_  
  
"Alia, I…"  
  
I never got to finish whatever I was about to say. At that moment the doors flew open and countless mavericks rushed in and rained blow upon blow on us until we fell unconscious.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~23XX, Maverick Base, 5:23 AM~  
  
I screamed and wept at the scene before me. My buster had blocks installed on it to keep it from firing as I was chained to the wall, watching. I didn't recall what they looked like later, only registering that there were two mavericks in the room.  
  
"How's this girl? Want some more?"  
  
The first one shoved an electrical rod against her chest plate, causing her to scream in pain. My cries increased in intensity as hers did. When he was finished, the second smashed a fist into her face, cracking the semi-elastic plastic that made up her face. She sobbed, pleading with them.  
  
"Please don't do this… don't do this…"  
  
Her pleas went unanswered, and unacknowledged. They continued to beat her until her body slumped forward, lifeless.  
  
"NO!"  
  
I struggled harder against my bonds, trying to force the energy rings that held me in place. The first maverick laughed and sauntered up to me, jabbing the electric rod against my torso, he laughed as my screams echoed through the room. The second grinned as well.  
  
"You'll get yours soon enough, hunter trash. Right after we finish having our fun with your lady friend here…"  
  
Then they both went back to Alia, and jammed the rod against her again. Her head shot up, her back arching, her screams echoing down my spine. I continued clawing at the restraints, but they didn't budge. They removed the wand, the first guard moving around her, circling, jabbing her with it every once in awhile making her scream sharply.  
  
"No… please… no, don't do this… please… don…"  
  
The first maverick had stabbed her in the back of the neck with it, making it so that she couldn't scream as she shook, writhing in agony. Her soundless screams were accompanied by a look of hopelessness and pain in her eyes. Then, her jaw went slack, and the light went out of her eyes, head wilting like a flower. The second guard hit the first in the shoulder, causing the first to drop his rod. When it hit a cable, the lights flickered, but neither noticed.  
  
"Hey! What'd you do that for? Now she's dead! Lord Sigma's going to kill us!"  
  
_Dead? No. They're lying…_  
  
"**NO!!!!!!**"  
  
The electric manacle on my right arm shorted out, and I pulled it down. The guards looked over. One picked up the rod, while the other rushed me. I formed my arm cannon, and the maverick laughed, and waggled his finger at me.  
  
"You can't do that, can you?"  
  
I felt the power building inside the buster. It would fire, or detonate trying. I really didn't care which. Then the block crumbled, and a shot three times the maximum I should have been capable of burst out. It left only a twitching pair of legs and lower torso intact. The rest was disintegrated, and it toppled over.  
  
The one with the rod rushed at me. He swung the rod at me, but I caught it, and bent it back towards him. It impacted with his face and he stumbled backwards, obviously in pain. I reversed the rod in my grip, and jammed it in to the board I was shackled to. The other restraints shorted, and I dropped to the ground. The maverick was attempting to rise when I placed the business end of my buster at the base of his neck and fired. I turned to Alia and kneeled beside her, taking her head into my lap.  
  
"Ally? Ally? Wake up. Wake up. Please?? Ally…?"  
  
_Scan Unit Alia!_  
  

    
    **Scanning. . . . . .  
    
    Scan Complete  
    
    Unit Alia Terminated**

  
"No. No! It can't be… Why?"  
  
I looked back at the lifeless face beneath me. Alia seemed to be staring at me, accusing me.  
  
_'Why didn't you stop them?'  
  
'Why are you alive when I'm not?'  
  
'Why didn't you save me?'  
  
'You're a fraud!'  
  
'You're a disgrace!'  
  
'How could I have ever loved you?!'_  
  
"**NOOOO!!!!!**"  
  
I felt sadness. Pain. Then I felt incomprehension. Then, seeing Alia's lifeless accusing eyes, and the maverick bodies around, I felt rage. Heedless rage. I rose, a sadistic smile on my face.  
  
_They will pay._  
  
I didn't bother with my buster as I approached the door. I used my fists. I beat it down. Nothing had ever felt as satisfying. From one of the first mavericks I downed, I picked up a beam saber. I used it and my X-Buster indiscriminately.  
  
I felt rage beyond all else. I don't remember thinking after that. I just killed. I killed as if that was my only reason for being. It _was_ my only reason for being. I killed everything in the fortress. I killed every maverick there. Then I started on the walls. They crumbled beneath my buster and confiscated saber. The fortress collapsed.  
  
So did I.  
  
My insanity caused the downfall over the maverick base.  
  
Cain said it was the turning point of the war.  
  
Hunters hailed me as a Hero.  
  
I barely heard them.  
  
It didn't matter.  
  
I had lost my reason for being.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~2010, Mizuno Residence, 3:30 PM~  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
Amy was speaking softly, trying not to alarm me as she kneeled down in front of me. I was still more than a little shaken as I answered.  
  
"Y-Yeah, just a… glitch, that's all."  
  
_Memory recompile my shiny metal pelvic plate! If that keeps up I'll be a complete nervous wreck!_  
  
She smiled a little nervously, and got up off of her knees. I stood as well, and sat back down on the table I had been lain upon. She looked at me, concentrating.  
  
"I'm not really sure where to start… Would you mind answering some questions?"  
  
"No, not really. I've got some time to kill. I'm X. Mega Man X."  
  
I held out my hand from my sitting position, and she shook it. Slowly.  
  
_Better than nothing I guess…_  
  
As our hands slowly lowered, she seemed to come to a decision.  
  
"What are you?"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~2010, Amy's House 5:45 PM~  
  
"…and that's my story. Now I'm stuck here, unless Dr. Cain thinks up a way for me to get home."  
  
"That sounds like a bad sci-fi movie."  
  
"Probably."  
  
_It would have been worse if I had told her about Alia of my more… biological… nature. That would have started a line of questioning I'm sure I can do without. _  
  
"Will you tell the others?"  
  
"Yes, for our own safety mostly, after all, information is a powerful weapon."  
  
"As long as you know how to use it right; what are you going to do about me?"  
  
_As if I don't already have enough to worry about._  
  
"I'm not sure, but I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt because of what happened earlier."  
  
"Is the girl ok?"  
  
The sudden thought of the human girl brought a lump to my throat.  
  
"She's fine."  
  
"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go now."  
  
"Of course."  
  
I walked out calmly, summoned my land chaser and sped off.  
  
_Better not go back to the apartment until I can be 'Rock' again, too many questions if I'm seen._  
  
I was startled as my helmet picked up a call aimed at my cell-phone.  
  
"Hello, Rock speaking… what, oh out running errands… tomorrow?… well, I'm kinda… okay, alright, what time?… Ok, I'll be there."   
  
_How did I get roped into this one? Usually it's just Zero playing a prank on me, but this time it's for real… I think. Honestly, I don't know enough about being a human yet to have this level of interaction with them. I mean… _  
  
My thoughts continued on in this fashion as I rode off into the afternoon.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~2010, Amy's House 5:52 PM~  
  
I sighed as I closed the door.  
  
_He's lying to me. A little at least, either that or I haven't been told everything. Probably the latter, I'm not sure I would say everything either in his situation. I mean it did sound like a bad sci-fi movie, but there were too many details for it to be completely false. _  
  
I sighed again, and looked at my newest 'acquisition', Commander Yammark. I ran my hand over its expressionless face to close its metallic eyelids. My head shot up, my eyes wide.   
  
_That's it, his eyes, his face, they're too real! They can't be mechanical, the facial expressions were just to detailed, even for the semi-elastic alloy! But if his face isn't synthetic, then… _  
  
My thoughts trailed off as it hit me.   
  
_It must be unique to him though, he was rather evasive when I asked why he was the only one who could survive here… What do I tell the girls? _  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~2010, Rooftop, 6:03 PM~  
  
I stood, bathed in the glow of the sunset, and watched the streets below in full Sailor Venus regalia, intent on the teaming masses below. Things were a little confused right now.  
  
_And why shouldn't they be?_  
  
In the past, we the Sailor Scouts had always protected the people, even though we were still occasionally called a myth. And now we were powerless.  
  
_Well, not powerless, but still…_  
  
We were outnumbered, outclassed, and out gunned. It pretty much amounted to the same thing. Amy said that we only had to adjust our tactics, and Amy is usually right, but I still wondered if we had in fact met our match this one time. Below me the light turned green, and the few people who still had faith that it was safe outside went about their business. I felt a little ashamed, even though it wasn't my fault, and I was honestly trying my best.  
  
_But my best isn't good enough._  
  
I chuckled then.  
  
_I'm supposed to be the 'bubbly blonde', and I sit here crying bitterly about things I can't prevent. Hah!_  
  
Then, my communicator beeped. I pulled it out, and Amy's face appeared on its screen. I smiled, bringing the 'bubbly blonde barrier' back to the fore.  
  
"Hiya Amy! How's sleeping beauty?"  
  
She smiled a little.  
  
"That's what we need to talk about. Call the other girls back here, would you?"  
  
"Sure Amy. We'll be there in a jiffy."  
  
She paused then.  
  
"No, wait. Nevermind. Tomorrow is soon enough. I'll make the calls myself…"  
  
"If you're sure Amy…"  
  
"I am."  
  
The communicator shut down, and I let the mask drop.  
  
_Sometimes, it's difficult being the blonde one._  
  
Then I left for home. 


	6. The 'ploid, the Scout, and the Date

Chapter 6 - The 'ploid, The Scout, and the Date  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~2010, Amy's House 4:52 PM (next day)~  
  
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT ISN'T HERE?!!!"  
  
I sighed. Rei was a great friend, and a great scout, but the screaming she did when she was angry could get on your nerves. I attempted to calm her down.  
  
"It's okay, after he woke up…"  
  
"YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T WAKE HIM WITHOUT US HERE!"  
  
Lita this time.  
  
_Today is not going to go well._  
  
I had called the others over without thinking to tell them one at a time that X was no longer in my custody.  
  
_Bad move…_  
  
"HE WOKE UP ON HIS OWN, OKAY!"  
  
_Who said that? For that matter, what do I say now? Why's it so silent? Why's everyone staring at me?  
  
Oh, wait.  
  
I screamed that time. Innocent, shy little Amy screamed at someone._  
  
I blushed furiously.  
  
"Why don't you tell us what happened Amy."  
  
Serena spoke then, rather timidly.  
  
"Fine, it's like this. His story is that he is what is called a Reploid. A reploid is a machine that has emotions and sentient life. It exists, and knows it exists and, more importantly, it cares that it exists. I know, if it were true, it would have been in countless magazines and people would be paying millions just to speak with it, but that's the thing. It hasn't been invented. Here."  
  
"Don't tell me he's from the future."  
  
Rei was more than a little sarcastic when she spoke.  
  
"No. I said 'here', not 'yet'. He claims that he and the other reploids we've been fighting are from another dimension. He's some sort of police officer there, and was sent to hunt down the ones we've been fighting."  
  
"Wait, if that's true, why not just program them not to hurt humans?"  
  
Darien had a small frown on his face.  
  
"Because a robot that can think for itself can disobey any programming put into it. As a result some came to hate humans, a started a war on them, so their 'creator' Dr. Cain, formed the 'Maverick Hunters' to stop them. They were apparently doing well until these 'mavericks' came here."  
  
Darien nodded, then frowned again.  
  
"Wait, why is he here alone then? Why not send several, if not ten or twenty?"  
  
"I asked that too, and all he said was that he was the only one able to survive here for any long length of time, and since he has almost no chance of going home, it would have been a suicide mission for anyone else."  
  
"Why is he the only one?"  
  
This came from Lita, now sitting, and a great deal calmer.  
  
"He said something about him being extremely advanced, but I don't quite believe him. He wasn't too sure of himself as he said it."  
  
"It doesn't seem to make any sense. I can't believe that you believe this… this… thing! Advanced robots from another dimension? Maybe, we've seen stranger, but to believe that it isn't one of them! I don't like it."  
  
This was from Rei again, quieter, but not much calmer. I paused to rub my temples.  
  
_I have a headache. A large one._  
  
"I think the story is plausible, after all, why send out a probe to scan the civilization a full _month_ after you make your first attack. That's what didn't make sense before. He may be lying about _what_ he is, but I don't think he's lying about _who_ he is and why he's here, or he would have had an easy time killing me as I stood there."  
  
"Fine, but I don't like it."  
  
With Rei's grumbling and grudging agreement the meeting adjourned. Darien left. The others did not. As I struggled to figure out why my fellow scouts had not yet left, Serena spoke up.  
  
"Oh, Amy…"  
  
"Yes, Serena."  
  
I said this evenly. I was rather proud of that fact. I knew that tone of voice. That was the voice that said 'I have something devious up my sleeve and you'll hate me for it tomorrow'.  
  
"We're not going anywhere just yet, we have to help you get ready for your date tonight."  
  
"What are you talking about Serena I don…"  
  
_She didn't!!!  
  
She did.  
  
Why does she always set me up like this? Uh oh. Better say no before she considers my silence acquiescence._  
  
"Serena, I don't think a blind date is such a g…"  
  
"Nonsense, it's not a blind date, it's Rock."  
  
"Rock?"  
  
"Yeah, you know, the guy who tried to defend Darien and me when 'Big Bird' came in to my apartment through the living room wall? The guy who you later spent _hours_ staring into his eyes? I know you were supposed to be checking him out, but that wasn't what the police had in mind."   
  
I'm certain I was beet red as the other girls laughed.  
  
"Come on, he'll be here at seven and you have to be ready."  
  
I groaned, but complied, Serena was going to get what she wanted one way or another.  
  
Mina, silent up until this point now spoke up. "Is he cute?"  
  
~2010, Halo Apartments: Rock's Apartment 6:27 PM~  
  
I stared at myself in the mirror as I dressed for my 'date'. I was slightly dressed up in a dark blue sweater and black slacks.  
  
_Irony at its finest. What do I tell her today? Where should I say I come from? Or should I lie at all? Why are emotions so much more confusing when you're a human? Must be the hormones. I wonder if this will go okay. I hope it does. I mean, I never even dated other reploids, much less humans. Oh, well if it doesn't… wait. Am I actually excited about this? She is kind of nice, but…_  
  
And for the second time in as many days, my thoughts trailed off incoherently, leaving only a confused mess behind.  
  
~2010, Mizuno Residence 6:57 PM~  
  
I was feeling decidedly nervous. He would be here in a few minutes.  
  
_I always am when Serena tries to set me up with someone. Some of the guys she's set me up with before were nice, but they just weren't my type._  
  
I frowned at this.  
  
_Just what is my type? Do I even have one?_  
  
I sighed.  
  
_Yes, I do have a type. Someone who can keep up with my intelligence is a must, I can't have a good relationship with someone who doesn't understand me.  
  
There are always problems though…  
  
Every time I actually meet a guy, a nice guy, not arrogant, with a decent intelligence level, I'm always called away on some Scout business, which usually nullifies my chances at another date. Sometimes being a Scout isn't all it's cracked up to be._  
  
But, to me, being a Scout is more than a job; it's a calling. I protect people who can't protect themselves. I sighed once more, and then straightened myself as the doorbell rang.  
  
_Life isn't easy._  
  
~2010, Mizuno Residence 7:01 PM~  
  
I was nervous. Not sweating bullets nervous, but that special kind of petrified nervousness that only shows itself in your eyes and unusually stiff posture until it makes you run away screaming. I imagine my eyes were a little wild and my movements a little jerky as I opened the door of my rental car for Amy as we walked around the midnight blue sedan.  
  
_I really hope Zero knew what he taught._  
  
I pulled the car out of the driveway, and went off down the road, into the night.  
  
"So, Rock, what do you do for a living?"  
  
_Uh oh. Think fast._  
  
"I… I'm currently between jobs at the moment."  
  
_Unless you count blowing away mavericks a job…_  
  
"Oh, well, what _did_ you do?"  
  
A plan of action quickly formed in my head.  
  
"Well, to be honest, I only recently got my masters in computer science, and am still looking for a job in that area. What about you?"  
  
"Well, actually, I'm a part time pediatrician. I don't have anything besides an occasional check-up these days. What about your family?"  
  
_Not good._  
  
I decided to respond with half-truths. I told her that I had no family left, but as a result had a decent bank balance. We talked for a while, before I parked the car, and we exited and entered the restaurant.  
  
~2010, Restaurant, 7:32 PM~  
  
The food was delicious.  
  
The atmosphere was pleasant.  
  
My date was charming in a shy sense of the word.  
  
I had yet to have my communicator go off.  
  
In short, for once everything was good on this date Serena set me up on.  
  
_So why do I have this nagging feeling that something's not right?_  
  
Rock was across from me, smiling politely as he ate. There was something in his eyes, though, they way they sparkled maybe, that really made me feel comfortable.  
  
We talked in low voices to not disturb the couples around us. It seemed we had a sort of instant connection, despite his initial nervousness. Once he had loosened up a little he was even a little funny.  
  
Then my communicator had the nerve to go off. I actually had to fight the urge to curse. Not that it was that hard, but the fact that I had to resist the urge at all showed that I was pretty upset at the interruption. I blushed profusely.  
  
"Excuse me a moment…"  
  
He smiled indulgently, but there was something else in his eyes.  
  
_Worry, maybe?_  
  
I didn't have time to ponder it. I went over to one of the public phones near the restrooms so it would look like a call. Lita's face came up on the screen.  
  
"Amy? Sorry to interrupt, but could _really_ use your help down here. This guy is tearing the place apart and I'm not sure how much longer we can hold out."  
  
I nodded, and sighed.  
  
"I'll be right there."  
  
Lita's face took on a guilty expression.  
  
"Sorry again, Amy."  
  
"It's okay Lita. Try to hang on."  
  
She nodded and shut down her end. I sighed.  
  
_And tonight was going so well too…_  
  
I headed back over to the table. Rock looked up at me, worry on his face.  
  
"Is everything alright?"  
  
I shook my head.  
  
_I hate this part._  
  
"There's an emergency I need to take care of. One of my patients."  
  
He nodded, and smiled a little, the worry still in his eyes.  
  
"Do you need me to drop you somewhere?"  
  
I shook my head again.  
  
"No, my assistant is coming to pick me up."  
  
He sighed.  
  
"Well, I'll take care of the check…"  
  
He looked up at me and blushed slightly before continuing.  
  
"Maybe we could try again another time?"  
  
I smiled and nodded.  
  
"I'd like that. I'll have Serena give you my number, I really should go…"  
  
He nodded, and smiled too.  
  
"Go…"  
  
I rushed out.  
  
~2010, Restaurant Exterior, 7:34 PM~  
  
Amy had been lying, and I knew it. I wasn't about to call her on it though; I had picked up the maverick signature myself.  
  
_I'm not sure what I would have done if she hadn't been called away…_  
  
I got out into the street and smiled, moving for an alley. The rental car would probably be safe until I got back. Once there I changed to X and summoned my land chaser, heading in the direction of the maverick signal.  
  
I tracked it to what was apparently an abandoned warehouse. I climbed to the roof immediately, moving for a skylight. I peered in.  
  
_Fantastic._  
  
The interior was something to the effect of Flame Mammoth's set up from oh so long ago, complete with the conveyor belts that had half assembled mavericks firing off rounds. Of course, that wasn't the real problem. The real problem was the resurrected maverick in the center.  
  
_Infinity Mijinion…_  
  
The problem with fighting Infinity was that his greenish bulb-like body had an infinite energy supply thanks to the fact that his core was made of plasma. Said core made him unstable, but cautious. Light help them all if the mavericks ever figured out how to duplicate it. Having a lot of Infinities-turned-suicide-bombers was not a happy thought. But as luck would have it, Infinity Mijinion's core personality was based on survival, not sacrifice, which was what had made it acceptable to build him, not that Gate probably would have cared.  
  
Of course this new infinity looked downright evil, given that his ordinarily green glowing core was a dark sickening purplish color. It also seemed that the blasts that for some reason liked to fly out of his butt were the purple color as well.  
  
_And probably twice as damaging…  
  
Oh well. No time like the present._  
  
And with that I leapt in, shattering the skylight as I plummeted downwards. 


	7. Battle Damage

Chapter 7 - Battle Damage

* * *

2010, Warehouse, 7:36 PM  
  
I still felt bad about calling Amy off her date. A single glance at the disappointed look on her face, and I could tell it had been going well.  
  
_I hope this guy will be willing to give her another chance…_  
  
Which was one of the downsides to being a scout. Running off from first dates tends to net a short supply of second ones.  
  
But the fact of the matter was that I hadn't been kidding about us needing her here either. This guy would be annoying enough by himself, shooting high-powered energy beams that could change direction once at a ninety-degree angle to follow you, and he could also generate a few clones that were capable of everything he was.  
  
And that wasn't going into the fact that he could fly and spout purplish clouds of gas that we weren't stupid enough to go into.  
  
And even that wasn't going into the fact that all of these half finished jerks on conveyor belts were firing at us every chance they got.  
  
_But what really pisses me off is that high and winy voice he uses to taunt us._  
  
I grimaced as he and his duplicates shot out blasts. The real problem with them is that we couldn't tell who they were aiming for until it was too late.  
  
I jumped suddenly over one beam, only to have another peg me in the side, knocking me to the ground out of sight behind a pillar.  
  
"Shabon Spray!"  
  
The magical mist spilled quickly out and into the room, and soon Sailor Mercury was hovering over me, a worried mother's expression on her face.  
  
"Glad you came…"  
  
My face whitened in pain and she shushed me.  
  
"Don't talk and stay down. This isn't really all that serious, but it could become that way if you aggravate it. You should be alright by tomorrow, though if I_actually_thought you would listen I'd make you take it easy for a week."  
  
Convinced I would be all right for now, Amy turned and began fiddling with her computer. The fog lifted a moment later, and as it happened I was looking up at the skylight, just in time to see a pair of blue boots come smashing through it, raining glass down into the center floor.

* * *

As I neared the floor of the room, I kicked my EAS into action, dashing away from where the shots around me were coming in, and straight towards one of the three Infinity Mijinions I could see, letting my fully charged buster speak for me.  
  
It phased out.  
  
_Clone._  
  
I didn't let that stop me though, I had to keep moving, and fast. I just barely got out of the way of Mijinion's Ray Arrows, making him and his copy gloat a bit. I started my buster charging.  
  
"How long do you think you can keep dodging X? I can keep doing this all night, but how long can you go?"  
  
I dodged some more minor shots, and slid underneath another Ray Arrow, not pausing to answer. I couldn't afford to break my concentration. Both copies spoke at once, making it impossible to tell which was real.  
  
"How long do you think you can keep dodging? You're not fast enough to dodge it all I think. You'll be caught before too long. What do you think?"  
  
My buster was fully charged, but he wasn't stupid enough to let me get off another shot by letting up, not even for an instant. I executed a roll underneath one of them, launching my shot. Not directly at him or his clone, as he would have expected, but into the heart of the manufacturing device, stopping the production.  
  
"Mars Flame Sniper!"  
  
She'd used the distraction well, and managed to take out the ones already half assembled. That left only Infinity and his remaining clone.  
  
_This might actually be manageable without severe injury…_  
  
"AAAGH!"  
  
A slight mistiming on my part and suddenly there's a Ray Arrow buried in my side. I rolled with the blast, coming to rest behind a column to catch my breath. I ground my teeth a little.  
  
I usually attempt to avoid combat. It's a useless, pointless waste of energy, and if the world were a better place you'd be able to solve everything by talking it out. Usually. But in times like these, when the enemy is obviously not going to listen to reason, I call forth my battle experience and embrace it utterly._By talk or by violence, no humans will be hurt on my watch._  
  
Taking a breath to compose myself, I rolled out from behind the column and opened fire again, running into the thick of the fray._Oh boy… he regenerated his clones again._  
  
Not pausing for a moment, I launched a few shots, destroying a clone and rolling behind another piece of cover. A quick glance to my left revealed Amy and the green one. Ignoring them for the moment, I quickly stood and fired out a few shots, if for no other reason than to prevent him from making a second clone.  
  
Dropping back down, I started charging a shot. I looked at them.  
  
"I don't suppose either one of you has any bright ideas? Last time I fought this guy I had backup."  
  
Which was true._Zero teased me for a week because he got to pull my butt out of the fire._  
  
The green one was holding her side. I gave her a small smile and she looked puzzled for a moment. Amy wasn't looking up from where she was tapping at her computer, but answered anyways.  
  
"I think I can tell which one is the real one, but I need a moment more to work with."  
  
I sighed.  
  
"Okay. Great. I'll go keep his attention. Think you can eliminate one of the clones for me?"  
  
She nodded, and I leapt back up, running for the fray. I rolled between the 'Cresent Beam Shower' and jumped over a 'Flame Sniper' all the while launching shots at the various images of Mijinion floating around. The attacks from the others temporarily stopped as I entered.  
  
_Well, at least they have a sense of professional courtesy._  
  
"Mercury Ice Bubble Blast!"  
  
A clone behind me iced up temporarily, then the ice crashed down to the ground as it dissipated underneath. A 'Thunder Crash' quickly downed the other clone, leaving me with Infinity wide open. I set a scanner to 'lock' on to him so that I'd know which was real even if he used more clones.  
  
_Time to finish this._

* * *

I watched calmly from the shadows above as the blue robot, X, danced around and through fire from the lightning bug like robot. I watched, and waited.  
  
My attack isn't good for much, admittedly. The rose only stuns an opponent, so I have to wait for an opportune moment to reveal myself. Finally, it came.  
  
X and the bug were both weaving in and out, but X concentrated a little too much on the real one, and one of the clones slipped around behind and blasted him. The blast hit him point blank, and he smashed into one of the support beams for the roof. I winced in sympathy. But, that was my turn to strike.  
  
I threw the rose down, catching Infinity Mijinion in the back. I didn't stick around to see the rose hit, though. I'd learned early on that sticking around to make a speech after that was an open invitation to get my head blown off.  
  
The rose was a direct hit, and he froze. Not too long, but just long enough for Serena to go to work.  
  
"Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!"  
  
Both the real enemy and the clone turned to her and stared. I was actually a little miffed when they froze longer from the name of her attack than my rose. But, it turned the annoying insect into a scrap heap, so who am I to say anything?  
  
I jumped down from my perch in the rafters, landing lightly on my feet. Amy was helping Lita up, and surprisingly, Mina was doing the same with X.  
  
I stopped at a rumbling noise behind me. I turned to see a purplish-black energy reach out with tentacles of its own power, and begin to grab pieces, beginning to reassemble itself.  
  
Then, a blue bolt of energy flew into it, destabilizing it. It was followed by several others, which quickly buried themselves into the energy mass, forcing it to dissipate.  
  
X, cannon smoking from the discharge, collapsed off of Mina, almost pulling her down as well, and leaned against a pillar. He held his head in his hands. "Well, that was new…"  
  
"Doesn't usually happen, I take it?"  
  
X shook his head as I spoke. "No, once they explode, they generally stay down."  
  
"Well, it may not have been natural." Amy interjected from over where she was helping Lita sit. "My computer was picking up high concentrations of negative energy coming from the core. That may have been what caused it to reform."  
  
X looked up at her. "Huh? What kind of energy is that?"  
  
"The kind of enemies we usually fight use negative energy like we use our abilities." X nodded and replaced his head back in his hands.  
  
Mina frowned. "Hey. Are you alright?"

* * *

I frowned. That was honestly a good question._Run diagnostic._  
  
**System Status:  
  
Leg Units: 35% Damage  
Status: Impaired  
Details: Movement Impaired  
  
Torso Unit: 38% Damage  
Status: Impaired  
Details: 'Rock' disabled, damage critical for organic tissue.  
  
Left Arm Unit: 86% damage  
Status: Critical  
Details: Critical Damage, temporary function cease  
  
Right Arm Unit: 12% damage  
Status: Functional  
  
Head Unit: 15% Damage  
Status: Impaired  
Details: Optic Sensor Malfunction  
  
Core Unit: 72% Damage  
Status: Critical  
Details: Recharge Needed; Teleport Disabled  
  
Repair Function: Active  
ETR(Estimated Time to Recovery): 5 days 3 hrs.  
  
Unit Status: Near Critical**

Well, the optic malfunction certainly explained why my vision was flickering in and out at the moment. Looking up I realized they were waiting for an answer. I sighed.  
  
"No, I'm not. I should be fine in a week or so though." I got shakily to my feet.  
  
"Rest." I looked over to see Amy, hands on her hips. I still shook my head.  
  
"I need to find Mijinion's core processor. It'll have the majority of his recent memories on it. Might be able to figure out where they are."  
  
"We usually take the parts back to my basement anyways. You can look through them there."  
  
I grumbled a bit, but acquiesced, sitting down again. The blond one was back, looking at me with concern. The one in the red skirt, Mars, was looking on with something close to distain on her face. Venus spoke. "How are you doing, really?"  
  
"Really? My teleporter's broken, so I can't use that, my left arm is useless for at least another twelve hours, and my optic sensors are on the blink, so I can't drive. My… disguise… is disabled so I can't walk. No transport, no place to stay, and it'll be at least three days before I resemble anything close to normal."  
  
She blushed. "Um… sorry."  
  
I waved it away with my good arm. "No, not necessary. I'm just tired is all."  
  
"Well, you could stay with me again."  
  
We were both startled to see Amy standing there. She held something out in one hand. "Is this it?"  
  
I nodded. "Yeah, that's it. Well, I wouldn't mind staying your basement again, at least until I'm somewhat better, but how would we get there?"  
  
Mars choose to butt in this time. "Hey, we carried you back to her place last time!"  
  
_There is no way that's happening while I'm conscious._  
  
I groaned. "I am not liking my options."  
  
"You can stay here if you like!" She shot back snidely.  
  
I sighed. "Ugh." I looked around, and spotted the guy in the tuxedo. "Hey! You can drive a motorcycle, right?"  
  
He nodded. Slowly. I smiled. "If I start it up, you think you can drive my Landchaser?"  
  
He gulped.

* * *

Well, this has been about a year in the making, and it's not my best work. I'm unrepentant, as this just doesn't hold my interest as much as my other stories at the moment. I'll try to update more often, a year_is_far too long, but you never know.


	8. Whispers in Shadow

Chapter 8 - Whispers in Shadow

* * *

2010, Mizuno Residence, 3:16 PM  
  
My repair function was operational, but progress was still slow. I still couldn't become human yet, but my arm was getting better. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for tracking our foes.  
  
True to Amy's word, most of the processor was fried, and what little I had pieced together so far, even with the probe's help, was virtually worthless. What we had gotten out of it was audio only, and the voice was obviously disguised.  
  
One passage though, was interesting, as it was just after trashing Commander Yammark. The 'voice' was ranting.  
  
"So… it's been confirmed then. It is X. Mijinion, step up production on those mavericks. I three times as many as you've been producing stepping off the assembly lines. If he's here, we'll need a lot more than what we have currently to overwhelm him."  
  
Mijinion's voice answered back. "Of course, it shall be done."  
  
The voice returned. "Good. On to other business. As it is obvious that X knows we're here, begin tracking him. I want him hunted down immediately. Who… ah. Yes. You. Come here. I want you to hunt him down. Don't let him know you're there just yet. I want to plan this strike carefully. He must not know where we are until it's too late. We were supposed to have as much time as we needed to conquer this infantile world, but now we'll have to step up the plans. Go mijinion."  
  
"Yes, My L…"  
  
"Do NOT call me that!"  
  
"I… apologize… I didn't mean…"  
  
The voice hmmphed, and continued. "Of course you didn't. You weren't thinking. You're supposed to be the most powerfull reploid of all with that core, but even with all that processor speed, I think faster than you!"  
  
That was all we got, aside from Mijinion whimpering before it degenerated into static. We still had no idea what was going on, but I knew they were after me now. Which meant I needed to be human as fast as possible to throw them off.  
  
Assuming they didn't already know.  
  
Which would be very, very bad. One way or another, this had to be settled fast. But how…  
  
I sighed and put the thing down. Just staring at the processor wasn't going to do me any good. It was too fragmented to get anything more out of it.  
  
A noise on the stairs clued me in to someone coming down. It was Amy, and she looked a little depressed. After some initial hesitation, I decided that we knew each other well enough (as X anyways) for me to show some concern. "What's wrong Amy?"  
  
She sighed. "It's nothing… well, not anything important."  
  
I smiled a little. "I've got nothing but time at the moment. The processor has nothing left to give us."  
  
She sighed and sat down next to me at the work bench. "Is there… something wrong with me?"  
  
I would like to make it clear that I know nothing about women, and everything I know I learned from a red reploid who shall remain nameless, that was slapped in the face more often than not.  
  
That being said, even I know this is a trick question. "Um… no… nothing I know of. What's wrong?" I had a sudden sinking feeling in my gut.  
  
"It's… this guy… he said he understood when I left during dinner the other night, but… he won't return my calls. Is it me?"  
  
Well, this is a new and interesting situation. Okay. What do I do now?  
  
I gulped. This would have to be handled delicately. "Um… no. It's not you."  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
Okay, bad move. "Well, I mean, he said he understood, right? So, if it's not you, it's him." Smooth. Blame yourself for this. Real smooth.  
  
Amy frowned. "Maybe… he didn't seem like the type to just blow me off though."  
  
"Maybe something came up?" I shrugged helplessly. This, as predicted, was not going well.  
  
"How could something just 'come up' like that?"  
  
"Like something 'came up' during dinner you mean?"  
  
That made her pause. "I guess you're right. I worry too easily I guess. But I wonder what happened?"  
  
I didn't say anything; I just let the conversation turn to other matters. One close shave a day is my limit.  
  
Well, unless Sigma's in town.

* * *

2010, Halo Apartments, 5:14 AM  
  
I woke with a start.  
  
I'd had the dream again. I'd been having it more and more frequently in the three weeks since I'd left Amy's house for my apartment. I'd made up a story about a friend being ill, and left it at that. We'd had several dates since then, though, and they'd all gone really well.  
  
But the dream…  
  
Lately… it had been changing lately. It might be my newly human subconscious, but…  
  
Alia was always there… always screaming. Always being tortured. But now I was no longer helpless. I stood there, watching it happen, standing there, unable to move.  
  
And then, it changed again. Still unable to move, it was no longer mavericks torturing her to death.  
  
Now it was the scouts.  
  
And it went on. And on. And on. Until finally, when I could take no more, Amy herself, with a dagger of ice, slit her throat. And Alia's lifeless eyes staring right into my soul.  
  
Why?  
  
Why did you let them kill me?  
  
Didn't you love me?  
  
Why didn't you stop them, X?  
  
Do you still love me?  
  
Tell me you do X.  
  
Show me you do.  
  
Show me…  
  
Show me.  
  
SHOW ME!  
  
And then I wake up. I wake up cold and sweating, holding my head, rocking back and forth, my mind swearing to show her that I love her. And then I recover, and latch on to something, anything, that will take my mind away from it.  
  
Like the attacks. Or lack there of.  
  
Three weeks and no attacks. It was starting to get to me. I'd even been out as X a few times, and whoever was supposed to be tracking me didn't show, not even when scanning for frequencies. I was getting more and more paranoid by the day.  
  
Something wasn't adding up, and I wasn't sure what it was. In desperate need of something to do until normal people were up and around, I got up and started pacing to think about it.  
  
It had to do with the file we'd picked out of Mijinion's processor. Something about it was strange, but I couldn't tell what. It wasn't that something seemed false about it, so much as it seemed that there was something I was missing… something…  
  
**WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!  
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!  
Maverick Signature Detected!  
Maverick Signature Detected!  
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!  
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!**  
  
_Well, so much for figuring it out._  
  
Switching into my armor, I teleported out, right for the signal.

* * *

2010, Cherry Hill Temple, 5:23 AM  
  
Used to rising before dawn, I knew instinctively that something was extremely wrong. _Of course, _Chad_ would have known something was wrong with this picture…_  
  
'This' was the main shrine, that always had the Sacred Fire burning within it. Except that wasn't the case now. The entire room was encased in a thin blue sheen. The flame itself frozen like a picture perfect sculpture, except that the ice glowed with a sickly purple glow.  
  
I started to back out slowly. I needed to call the girls. I didn't quite make it as I felt the ice close over the doorway, making a barrier behind me.  
  
Then, the purple flame of ice exploded, showering her with razor sharp shards. Risking a glance up, I saw a large bipedal… buffalo? It was standing behind the iced over altar, fist extended.  
  
"Huh huh. I was told to hunt down the human girl who lives here." It leered at her. "I's gonna like it when you bleed girl."  
  
Then, it waved its hand, and sent a long spike at mer. I jumped out of the way, grasping my henshin rod as I did. "Mars Star Power!"  
  
Just as I finished the transformation, I had to dodge out of the way of a charge, but missed my footing on the ice and went sprawling. _Damn heels._  
  
The thing just grinned. "Huh huh."  
  
It charged at me again, the sharp purple ice building up in front of it as it went, when a large burst of blue energy slammed into its side, sending him off course. Being used to the ice, he didn't go too far, or even fall over before he stopped, but he did miss me by a mile to do so. I got back up.  
  
My 'savior' was the 'reploid', X. I nodded to him in thanks, but left my concentration on the thing that had attacked me. I didn't like X all that much, but he was certainly better company than the buffalo. The buffalo looked mad as he formed and tossed two of the ice spikes at him.  
  
X jumped and twisted landing by me. He didn't budge an inch when he came down. "Blizzard Buffalo couldn't do that before. That's Frost Walrus's trick."  
  
I raised my arms up. "So? Burning Mandala!"  
  
The rings of fire spun off my arms and started smashing into him, driving him back a bit. X stood next to me, firing off a few shots with that blaster of his.  
  
Then, we both dived in opposite directions as he charged in between us, coming down hard. Blizzard Buffalo himself slammed into the wall, but, amazingly enough, he didn't go through it.  
  
Over to the side I saw X fire his blaster at one of the wooden beams in the ceiling. It didn't even crack the ice.  
  
"Huh huh." I looked back up then to see the buffalo man standing over me, fist raised.  
  
_Oh…_ I didn't finish the thought, because the next thing I knew, I was being hurled to the side. X had pushed me out of the way. The blow cracked his armor and sent him hurtling across the room. As he flew back though, he let loose a large energy blast from his cannon, stunning Blizzard Buffalo as he smirked.  
  
I growled. As I'd said before, I didn't like X much, but I was learning to trust him. And whether I'm happy with them or not, you do _not_ attack one of my allies and get away with it. I noticed one point in the ice glowing more fiercely than the rest, and took aim.  
  
I extended an arm, and fire extended up and down from my grip. I reached forward with the other arm and a thin line of fire appeared where I grabbed, reaching up and down to connect to the ends of the construct, completing the bow. Pulling back, I willed the fire up, forming a long, thin arrow. "Mars… Flame… Sniper!"  
  
With Blizzard Buffalo distracted, my arrow flew true, burning through the ice and negative energy alike, until it struck that point. Nothing happened for a moment or two as time seemed to stand still. Then, slowly but surely, all of the ice started melting, until there was nothing left but a lifeless husk.  
  
Then, the walls started melting, returning to their previous wooden state, but I shuddered at the thought of the purification rituals that would now be required. X got up then, holding a hand over where the fist had impacted, and started walking towards me, when the doors burst open, revealing the rest of the scouts waiting breathlessly. Serena came rushing in, reminding me more of the Serena of old, rather than the slightly reserved woman I now knew. "Rei, Rei! Are you alright?"  
  
Amy on the other hand, rushed at X, noticing what I hadn't at first. The area underneath his hand was sparking slightly. When she batted his hand away I hissed.  
  
There was a hole clean through him. He waved Amy away. "I'll be fine. Worse than it looks, really. It'll only take me a couple of days to heal. Came out worse than this the first time I fought him…"  
  
I shuddered a little at the thought of that hole in _me_. Completely natural since it was aimed at me in the first place. Chances are, I wouldn't have lived.  
  
I looked up, and smiled a little at him, and received a small nod in return.  
  
_Maybe he isn't too bad a guy after all…_

* * *

Okay, this was a really fast update, comparatively.  
  
Well, we're about on the final third of this fic. I figure that there are maybe five chapters left, probably one or two regular chapters, then several chapters of final battle.  
  
Reviews:  
  
Burenda: Well, there was a scene with Tux boy riding the land chaser originally, but I cut it from the final draft of this chapter. It just wasn't too interesting. I think we'll have to save it for… the sequel!  
  
Yes, there will be a sequel to this, but it'll have to wait until after command mission, so I get the Mega fever back again. So stay tuned. Right now, the tentative title is Hunter Moon S: Steel Dawn. Fwee! 


	9. Deceptions

Chapter 9 -Deceptions

* * *

2010, Residential Area, 8:37 PM  
  
Fully healed once more, I was bounding across the rooftops, attempting to figure out just what was going on.  
  
Amy had missed our date. That wouldn't have gotten more than a raised eyebrow under most circumstances, as I would have simply found the maverick and helped scrap it, but there wasn't one.  
  
I checked, but still couldn't find anything.  
  
Then I called her, and got no answer. A quick trip to her house proved she wasn't there. Confused, I went back to the apartment, and discovered that both Serena and Darien's and my own rooms had once more been the subject of attack.  
  
That was where it got freaky.  
  
The temple had been hit as well, as something had ripped its way out of the structure. I got back on my bike and hit the road.  
  
After confirming virtually the same circumstances at both Lita and Mina's residences, I changed into X, bringing me here.  
  
I still didn't have anything out of the ordinary on my sensors besides six missing power signatures, but I did have the rather spooky feeling that I was being watched. It seemed vaguely familiar, and I tried to remember the last time I'd felt like this.  
  
_Oh no…_  
  
I dived out of the way just in time to dodge the spikes whistling for my back. Three of them. I whirled to find… nothing.  
  
As I'd expected.  
  
"You never were one to leave your cover for long, Sting."  
  
A voice floated in from all around me with a chuckle.  
  
"And it's only taken you a month to figure it out."  
  
I grimaced. He was right. My sensors couldn't match sting until he opened fire again, and then I'd only have half a second before I couldn't find him again. Another blip on the scanner and I dove out of the way, coming around as I did, letting out a volley of my own strikes.  
  
He just laughed.  
  
"Close X, but not that close!"  
  
I growled a bit. As the next volley came though, I analyzed it, hoping to find something I could exploit.  
  
Nothing at first, as I returned fire after ducking under some he shot from right in front of me just to throw me off, but, seeing the slight flash of purple from his cloak, and from the darts reminded me of what Amy said. Of their traditional enemies and mine fusing their technology.  
  
A couple of questions answered themselves in my head. I was getting energy through a food conversion process. But they, I realized, weren't actually fusing technologies, simply using something else as a power source.  
  
I switched my internal optics to filter for the signature.  
  
_Bingo._  
  
He looked kind of like a black light with the filter in place, but I could see him easily. His form tended to blur as he moved, but it was still a darn sight better than complete surprise. I back-flipped out of the way of the newest strike, then went for my own.  
  
The shot caught him while in cloak, and I grinned.  
  
"Dang. Whatever you boys have been eating lately makes you just _glow_."  
  
He stopped, dropped his cloak, and gaped. I didn't give him the chance to give up. I just fired. As his body began the stereotypical explosion sequence, I used my dash jets and flew forward, ripping his head off as I got close.  
  
I hurriedly ripped off the faceplate and extracted the processor, hoping against hope that I could get it before the melt down process started.  
  
I cursed as I got it out. The process had started with it, but I mollified myself with the fact that the vast majority of it was undamaged.  
  
I turned for home, only to realize it was still a crime scene.  
  
_Oh well, not like anything other than the Landchaser would give me away._  
  
I headed for Amy's instead.

* * *

2010, Mizuno Residence, 7:52 AM  
  
I hadn't gotten much sleep last night, largely because the dream came back again. I shivered. I hadn't felt up to working on the processor the night before, but now I wish I had.  
  
I never would have thought it possible but the dream had gotten worse, I ways I didn't want to think about.  
  
I forced the thought out of my mind, and turned to the processor, preparing to review the data.  
  
_Here goes nothing…_  
  
The scene in front of my eyes shifted to the front of Lita's house. The visual angle skittered towards the front of the house, then up the side, and in through a window. Lita walked in the room, and jumped back startled, and I realized the cloak wasn't on.  
  
It didn't matter, he simply shot out a dart at her, and she dropped like a rock, transformation pen in hand. Sting gathered up both then there was a small distortion in the visual spectrum as the cloak was engaged.  
  
Sting slipped back out, down onto the street, where the video cut.  
  
I swore as the feeds eventually cut.  
  
All of them.  
  
Every memory in the thing cut just after he'd captured a scout. That meant that whoever was behind this wanted me to have that information. That information and nothing else, like they were mocking me without actually being there to do it.  
  
They wanted me to know, but why?  
  
That was the part that didn't make any sense. To cut everything so cleanly, they knew Sting Chameleon would fail after confronting me. So why? There had to be more to it than bragging rights.  
  
Whoever was behind this was cunning and ruthless. But they were also expecting me to do something with the information. But what? I slammed my fist on the table in frustration.  
  
"Temper, temper, X."  
  
I went cold. I knew that voice. I turned around. And there he was in all his bald headed glory.  
  
"Sigma…"  
  
I ground the words out and started charging my buster. Sigma grinned.  
  
"Now, now, is that any way to treat an old friend?"  
  
"You? Friend? Don't make me laugh! What have you done with them?"  
  
Sigma grinned.  
  
"Oh, but we were friends once, X. Don't you remember?"  
  
"That was a _very_ long time ago, Maverick. You aren't the same man I remember."  
  
Sigma kept smiling, as if nothing had ever changed between us.  
  
"I suppose you're right. You, if I recall back then, were a pacifist, not a killing machine. We all change eventually I suppose. It comes with sentience."  
  
"You never answered my question, Sigma. What did you do with them?"  
  
"I'm… studying them. Their power sources. They're different from the ones my followers are currently utilizing, and I'd prefer to have every advantage possible before we return home - and figure out how to effectively counter it should their like eventually appear on our world."  
  
I kept my buster pointed straight at him.  
  
"Where are you Sigma? I know you. You wouldn't be here if you weren't going to tell me where to find you for the final showdown."  
  
Sigma's grin widened.  
  
"True, but this time I've an ace up my sleeve. A hostage."  
  
"We've already covered _that_ Sigma."  
  
He laughed this time.  
  
"Really, X. Whatever made you think I was talking about those short skirted bimbos? No, they're not remotely useful as hostages simply because they aren't remotely useful for anything. Besides, I said _hostage_, as in singular. No… I have something… excuse me. Someone else…"  
  
I let the shot fly, and it passed right through him. He laughed even harder.  
  
"Really, X. You should have guessed this was a hologram. Learn to control your temper a bit better. You always did get worked up too fast. I'm at this planet's north pole. I imagine you'll know where to find me once you're there."  
  
He grinned again.  
  
"See ya."  
  
The hologram fizzled out, and I cursed. Then I frowned. I should have detected the hologram's projection source, but I hadn't. Something was off.  
  
_Scan for projection devices._  
  
**Scanning…  
  
Found: 1  
  
Probe**  
  
I blinked. If that was true, then what had happened?  
  
_Source of previous holographic message?_  
  
**No holographic messages have been detected in the last 72 hours.**  
  
_What the…?_  
  
That confirmed it. Something was definitely off here. And until I could figure out what it was, I'd have to be more cautious than usual. The fact that I couldn't detect the source of the hologram coupled with a few other details set off a few warnings in my mind.  
  
The first was that Sting had been defeated far, far to easily. Coupled with the editing on the chip, it was obvious that they wanted me to have the information. That meant that Sting had not been sent out with the expectation that he'd be beaten, he'd been sent out to die.  
  
And he had to have figured it out, too. Unless that wasn't really Sting Chameleon on that roof with me.  
  
_Maybe… maybe it was just a mechanaloid. A high-powered one with a cloaking device that looked like Sting, but wasn't. Sting's smart and likes to play it safe. The first time I'd seen through that cloak, it should have sent him running, not freeze him up._  
  
I glanced around the room, filtering for energies again. Nothing.  
  
_Damn. Looks like he's cleared out._

* * *

2010, North Pole, 10:16 AM  
  
The northern pole of the planet, in fact anywhere above the arctic circle, is dark six months out of the year. This makes it rather difficult to see in most of the time, especially in raging blizzards, like now, which makes lights useless. Even the enhanced night vision I was currently using was hard pressed to penetrate the gloom.  
  
The big glowing maverick symbol in the distance was a big clue on which direction to head, however.  
  
Sigma always did like grand gestures. Of course, come to think of it, so did Wily, so maybe it's a megalomaniacal kind of thing.  
  
Starting off at a steady run, I went forward towards the fortress. Nothing was in my way. Nothing. Not even a bed of laser-spikes.  
  
That freaked me out more than an army in front of me would have.  
  
Reaching the fortress, I shot down the door and went inside.  
  
Of course, that was when I was ambushed.

* * *

2010, Sigma's Fortress, 10:16 AM  
  
I looked around at my fellow scouts, who nodded. We were transformed and waiting. Someone had to open the door to our cell sometime.  
  
The door did creak open then, and I let the attack fly.  
  
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"  
  
I grinned as the attack sliced right through the two idiots on the other side of the door, as a third fell back in pain, clutching an arm. Mina came forward next, primed and ready to finish the robot off.  
  
"Venus Crescent B-"  
  
"Please stop!"  
  
Mina kept he finger pointed at the robot, and it was still pulsing with energy, but she stopped for the moment.  
  
"Where are we?"  
  
The robot, I could see now was a pink clad girl with short blonde hair, shook a little.  
  
"I-I'm not sure. This is Sigma's fortress, but he builds them all over - sometimes they even move on their own. Please don't!"  
  
Seeing the girl breaking down, Mina lowered her hand slightly. She used her softest voice this time.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"I'm Alia… a spotter for the Hunters…"  
  
Mina took a quick glance at Amy, who nodded. Serena smiled then and came forward, helping the girl up.  
  
"I'm sorry about that, but after being captured…"  
  
Alia nodded, and gave a small smile.  
  
"I think I know the feeling."  
  
Amy walked up as well, he computer scanning.  
  
"Hmm. Nothing appears to be too wrong, but my knowledge of reploids is limited."  
  
Alia showed immediate interest in the computer, but you could tell by her face that it more trying to concentrate on anything but the current situation.  
  
"Really, but I thought everyone knew a lot about reploids?"  
  
Amy grimaced. I didn't blame her. I wouldn't want to give her the news either.  
  
"You're… not in your home dimension anymore. The only reason we know anything about you really is X."  
  
The girl's face immediately lit up.  
  
"X?! X is here? He's coming for me, right?"  
  
Amy smiled a little.  
  
"I'm sure he is… but he'll have to find us first."  
  
Rei snorted.  
  
"It's not like we're helpless. Let's rescue ourselves while we've got the chance."  
  
Serena nodded.  
  
"Right. Let's go."  
  
A few deserted corridors later, there came a beeping from Mercury's computer.  
  
"Guys… there's a powerful reploid ahead… Be careful."  
  
I grinned.  
  
"Great, I've been looking to work off some irritation."  
  
I dashed through the next door, and leapt once I was in.  
  
"Jupiter Thunder Dragon!"

* * *

That seems like a good place to leave off for now.  
  
Inspiration comes in many forms, and Command Mission is certainly inspiring for this particular fic. I lament that the game was so short, but that's life. Frankly I was just surprised the plot made sense from one chapter to the next.  
  
But Capcom's numerous problems with story aside, it was a fantastic game that really hyped me up for the sequel, so I sped this one up a tad. I was hoping to have a little more character interaction and other things, but, I think the sequel will be much better than this one. That being said, there's only one or two more chapters until this is wrapped up.  
  
Neverwhere: Chaos Mode 


	10. Madness and Betrayal

AN: Okay, usually it doesn't really matter, but this time: **PAY ATTENTION TO THE TIME!** It really does make a difference to the way the chapter is read.

On another note, the epilogue is about fifty percent complete. I'm just waiting for the rest of your questions about the story so that I can intergrate them in.

Read the chapter.

Chapter 10 - Madness and Betrayal

* * *

2010, Sigma's Fortress, 10:43 AM  
  
When screaming electric death rained down on me, I opened fire without hesitation. In the end, this proved to be the best thing I could have done. Hesitation would have cost me everything.  
  
I kept firing, not pausing to charge or even aim, I simply kept the world filled with the while blue haze of my buster's discharge, until I could not hear anything else but my own firing patterns.  
  
I glanced around, seeing nothing but what I'd expected about halfway through the firing sequence.  
  
All around me were the littered remains of the Sailor Scouts. Looking at their bodies and the way my buster had torn through them, I dropped my head back and began to laugh a long, cackling laugh as I covered my eyes with a hand.  
  
I walked through the doors in front of me, which opened automatically. Mavercks awaited within, and were taken down without effort. I moved on, barely even registering their presence as everything fell into place in my mind with a loud clank.  
  
Sigma. The non-existent hologram. The dreams. The Scouts. The kidnapping. Even the resurrected maverick leaders.  
  
It all suddenly made a frightening sense.  
  
As I took down the next group of mavericks, my mind wandered back to the lifeless bodies of the scouts lying in the entryway, my mind lingering on the decapitated head of 'Sailor Mercury'.  
  
All of the events of the past few months played through my head, and I had to wonder:  
  
_Just how long has she been playing me for a fool?_

* * *

2010, Sigma's Fortress, 10:20 AM  
  
I watched as Lita brushed her hands off after destroying the reploid. She looked at me.  
  
"Powerful?"  
  
I blushed.  
  
"Well, the energy reading was high… that's odd…"  
  
We walked quietly into the room Lita had just vacated. Then, we were surrounded on all four sides by yellow energy fields. I activated my visor immediately.  
  
Alia gulped.  
  
"It's a trap…"  
  
That much was obvious as a dozen smaller reploids with an assortment of heavy weapons came bursting through the other doors. The four of us, and Darien quickly formed up around Serena and Alia, protecting them.  
  
A single more powerful reploid, bald with two red marks down across his eyes came in.  
  
Looking at us, he began laughing.  
  
"Ladies, I hope you're interested in staying… I have a grand joke to play on my old friend…"

* * *

2010, Sigma's Fortress, 11:06 AM  
  
I ran forward, shooting everything in sight, some of it enemy reploids, some of it just ill placed scenery. I didn't much care, I just ran on. Anything to keep my newly discovered information out of my head.  
  
I didn't want to think about what I had done, and I didn't want to think about what I was about to do.  
  
I was going to find her…  
  
_…and then what? Kill her?_  
  
Part of my mind balked at the thought, another piece whispered that it had to be done…  
  
I shook my head and took a right at the next intersection, blasting my way through the reploids there.  
  
There was no other way about it, the whisper said. For the good of all reploids and people, she had to die.  
  
She, and all those who stood with her.  
  
And all I could do was cry silent tears as I understood and obeyed the small voice in the back of my mind, no matter what it would do to my piece of mind.  
  
An image of Amy sprang up in front of me as I blew my way through minor reploids with small blasters. I blew through the image too, the sibilant whispers gaining more and more of a hold, chipping away at what remained of my piece of mind, and possibly what remained of my sanity.  
  
"Forgive me…"  
  
This was what I whispered to the image of Amy in front of me as my buster tore through it, but the shyly smiling face did not answer, and I passed by without hesitation, switching my optics to infrared in an attempt to banish the image. But it followed in my mind.  
  
I would always see her face in my mind I knew, and it would always haunt me.  
  
No rest for the wicked.  
  
No mercy for the evil.  
  
No redemption for the fallen.

* * *

2010, Sigma's Fortress, 10:25 AM  
  
"I am Sigma."  
  
The bald reploid just grinned that insane grin of his after his name.  
  
"And, as I said, you will be helping me play a joke on X."  
  
"And what makes you think we'd ever help you, psychopath?"  
  
He just kept smiling.  
  
"Because humans are predictable creatures, my dear Sailor Mars…"  
  
A small shriek from behind us caused us to turn our backs to him, and we stared in shock. There stood Alia with a blank look on her face, holding a small energy dagger across Serena's neck.  
  
"Back away from my pet ladies, not if you don't want your leader dead."  
  
With nothing else to do, we backed up.  
  
"Take them."  
  
I felt a sharp stabbing pain, heard Serena's scream, and grunts of pain from the others, and then I blacked out.

* * *

2010, Sigma's Fortress, 11:12 AM  
  
They didn't bother with subtlety this time. No transporter pads leading to the mavericks they'd already thrown at me, they simply came at me all at once.  
  
I dashed out of the way of Storm Eagle's dive, and rolled between Blizzard Buffalo's legs. Coming up to my feet with a charged shot in sniper mode, I left Commander Yammark have it, smashing through his skull.  
  
_One down._  
  
I had to jump pretty fast to get out of the way of the incoming Ray Arrows, but I got lucky enough to have Sting Chameleon's barbs eliminate the clones as he fired on me.  
  
My luck didn't last though, it couldn't really.  
  
Blizzard Buffalo slammed into my back, sending me flying across the room, only to be smashed back by Storm Eagle's dive.  
  
Storm Eagle's tail flicked me back into the center of the room, where Infinity Mijinion waited.  
  
I was thankful that he wasn't finished charging his shot though, as it gave me time to pelt him with a few shots to disrupt him, and I scrambled back.  
  
I leapt out of the way of Blizzard Buffalo's next charge, and set my optic sensors to filter for dark energy again.  
  
Four figures lit up with it. I charged up a conventional large blast of energy, always keeping on the move, and let Sting have it, smashing him back and shutting him down.  
  
_He never was good at open combat…_  
  
Down to three opponents, I began to think objectively, instead of relying on instinct.  
  
I grinned for a moment as something came to me. It was quite possibly the stupidest plan I'd ever come up with, and that was saying something.  
  
If it worked, I'd be down to one opponent, and if it didn't…  
  
Well, I didn't want to dwell on that.  
  
I kept dancing through pot shots taken by the mavericks, waiting for my chance.  
  
Finally, it came.  
  
Storm eagle dived, and I was ready…  
  
To jump on his back.  
  
Then of course, to really do myself in, I broke his radar equipment, and covered his eyes.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"  
  
Our two voices screamed in unison as Storm rocketed through the room, swerving wildly.  
  
Of course, this is where my plan went horribly, horribly wrong.  
  
To fully under stand how my plan went wrong, you'd have to know what the first one was, and that was horribly, horribly wrong in and of itself.  
  
The original plan was as follows:  
  
1. Get on Storm Eagle.  
  
2. Break his radar gear and cover his eyes, removing his ability to navigate.  
  
3. Get him lined up to crash into Infinity, who was the more dangerous of the two left.  
  
4. Jump off and hope to hell the explosion didn't catch me up in it.  
  
Obviously, this plan had any number of holes in it, in addition to its stupidity.  
  
Stupidity, of course, is exactly what went wrong. Precisely, I underestimated the stupidity of Blizzard Buffalo.  
  
I wasn't quite sure just what he'd had in mind, whether it was to push his comrade out of the way, unlikely, or to grab me off Storm Eagle's back, not realizing the danger that possessed, quite likely.  
  
So it was that the collision of all three of my remaining foes let out a thunderous detonation that tossed me through the air not unlike Blizzard Buffalo's first hit to my back.  
  
I slammed against the wall and rebounded into the floor. Attempting to get up, I could tell I had taken heavy damage.  
  
_Run diagnostic._  
  
**System Status:  
  
Leg Units: 43 Damage  
Status: Impaired  
Details: Left leg impaired; Right leg near non-functional.  
  
Torso Unit: 74 Damage  
Status: Critical  
Details: 'Rock' disabled, damage critical for organic tissue.  
  
Left Arm Unit: 46 damage  
Status: Impaired  
Details: Movement impaired.  
  
Right Arm Unit: 26 damage  
Status: Impaired  
Details: Buster mode: Sniper disabled.  
  
Head Unit: 67 Damage  
Status: Critical  
Details: Armor compromised, immediate repairs suggested.  
  
Core Unit: 80 Damage  
Status: Critical  
Details: Recharge Needed; Teleport Disabled  
  
Repair Function: Active  
ETR(Estimated Time to Recovery): 12 days 7 hrs.  
  
Unit Status: Critical**  
  
I swore as I got shakily to my feet. I couldn't take any more damage. But I also couldn't leave this place intact. I kept going, charging my blaster as I went.  
  
_Time to get seriously lucky._  
  
The seconds seemed to stretch into hours as I shuffled down the remaining corridor, and into a lift. I kept the energy level on my buster high, listening to the high-pitched hum of gathering plasma break the silence, and pondered over what I had learned in the entryway as I took down the Scouts.  
  
I shrugged to myself as I wandered off the lift and through the doors in front of me. I'd just have to play my hunch. Either I was right or I was wrong.  
  
Going through the various blast doors, strangely devoid of any life forms, artificial or otherwise, I finally encountered a scene straight out of my nightmares.  
  
I watched in abject horror as I saw the Sailor Scouts and the overdressed guy attack Alia, Sigma watching from a throne with a cruel smirk on his face.  
  
My reaction was instantaneous. I let fly with my buster, sending the shot out to its target, which was blown from its position, sending it slamming into the wall.  
  
Alia.  
  
As she hit the wall, sparks started flying off the back of the scout's necks. I walked over and started examining them, pointedly ignoring Sigma in his chair.  
  
Not that it mattered. He'd collapsed in a heap at the front of the thing anyways.  
  
Examining the scouts with my scanners, I knew they'd be fine. In fact they were beginning to wake up as I turned back towards the shell-shocked Alia. She looked at me, and asked an unnecessary question.  
  
"Why?"  
  
I answered coldly. I couldn't let my emotions through. Not right now.  
  
"I'm a hunter, Alia, it's what I do."  
  
She sceamed then, and rushed at me, tackling us both to the floor. She began to beat on my chest with her fists. I raised my buster to her face and started charging energy in it. She stopped.  
  
"How long, Alia? How long have you been maverick?"  
  
She smiled, and put her hand softly on my dented chest plate.  
  
"Since Master Sigma awoke me. Oh… you don't know how it feels, X… it's a glorious feeling… freedom…"  
  
Her hand reached up to caress my face, and I batted it away with my freehand, never moving my buster from her face. Her face contorted in rage.  
  
"Why? Why won't you be like me?! I tried! I tried to make you miss me, to care about me! I wanted you to be with me in this! Why?!"  
  
I kept my buster pointed towards her face still. My legs didn't function well enough for me to try to dislodge her from where she knelt over me.  
  
"You want _freedom_ Alia?! How about the freedom to make your own choices?! Whether I love you or not, it's my choice. Whether I'm a maverick or not, hunter or not, that's also my choice! I'm almost ashamed to say I once loved you."  
  
Then, I let the energy fly into her head, shattering it into countless pieces.  
  
I let my arm fall then, and lay my head back.  
  
I started crying, even as I shut myself down for the repair cycle.  
  
I wasn't sure whether I ever wanted to come out of it.


	11. Paths of Life

Epilogue - Paths of Life

* * *

2010, Mizuno Residence, 10:14 PM (One month post final battle)

I sighed as I locked my door, having wished Rock a good night. Something wasn't right with him. It hadn't been right for a while now. Something about him had changed, it seemed, after we got back from the North Pole.

There was something in his eyes, pain maybe, and he wouldn't let go of it. It was tearing him up inside, but he just wouldn't let me help.

And our relationship was suffering for it.

Speaking of suffering, X was going through turbulent emotional issues as well. Killing an old girlfriend in the name of duty had to be terrifying for him. He covers it well though, hiding behind an unemotional mask and burying himself in his work.

Though there aren't any more attacks, X has had to make sure that nothing left behind in the base can ever come back to haunt us. I try to help as much as I can, but my studies in that particular area weren't far enough along to even begin to help. He points out things that can just be destroyed though, and the other girls are happy enough to help out with that. There are some things that have to be dismantled carefully though, so that the resulting explosion doesn't alert any of the earth's governments to what's going on, or cause any environmental catastrophes.

I slowly undressed and went to bed. Things didn't look like they would get better any time soon, but at least they weren't getting worse.

* * *

2010, Alia's Fortress, 1:27 AM

I sighed and looked at my belongings, which weren't much, strapped to the sides of my Landchaser.

I sighed. I still couldn't believe it. It just didn't seem right to call Alia a maverick, but there was no denying it. No one else would have had the ability to hack my head like that and send me those dreams, not to mention the hallucinations of Sigma. And no one else could have designed those mechanaloid 'Scouts' that kept ambushing me in the hallways, either. Or designed a processor to melt in such a way as to provide _only_ the information they wanted me to have.

All Alia.

Of course, even more worrying was that I really had no idea how long she'd been maverick. Sigma could have 'awakened' her even before she became Unit 17's spotter.

And I'd fallen in love with her, only to watch her 'die', then kill her with my own hands…

_Oh god…_

I collapsed in a heap and started crying, still able to see the flash, smell the burnt ozone, and hear the report of the blast that had taken her life.

_And for what?! Freedom?!_

I laughed bitterly through the tears.

It took a while to compose myself, but eventually I did, and I finished planting the rigged explosives, mostly made from the core units of the various mechanaloids lying around.

Then I stepped into the last room, dragging the laden down Landchaser with me. I had specifically left the room untouched, only a few explosives in the corners. In fact, I'd hidden this room from the girls by knocking some debris deliberately in front of the door.

Alia hadn't come through for nothing. She was supposed to conquer here, to rule. Then she was to build the Maverick armies to fantastic heights before going back to Sigma's side.

To be trusted to do something like that… well, let's just say it's one of a few pieces of information that lead me to believe she'd been maverick longer than Sigma rebuilding her for this.

The room however, was transportation home. A simple portal back. I took one last look around before activating the portal.

I'd miss this place.

But I can't stay here.

I can't.

* * *

2010, Mizuno Residence, 1:30 PM

I dropped my keys on the counter and sat down heavily in the chair.

The Maverick base was destroyed when we got there, only hunks of charred metal left.

With nothing else we could do, we headed home, leaving the question of what had happened to X open to interpretation. Not a pleasant feeling.

I listlessly sorted through my mail, then sat at my computer to check my e-mail.

**From: Rock Light  
To: Ami Mizuno**

Dear Amy,

I can't say how hard it is to put this in an e-mail instead of telling you to your face, but that is life, and it is seldom fair - or forgiving.

I… may not have been telling the whole truth to you when I told you my family was dead.

Of blood relatives I have nothing left, only a few scattered memories. But friends… those that have become family, I have a few left.

One of them died recently. So, I go home, back to where I belong, back to the friends who need me, and back because I need them.

Ordinarily a situation like this would be easily explained in person, an explanation for my recent behavior. But it cannot be so. My transportation prepares itself to leave as I write this, so…

I'm sorry to say it, but this is, must be, goodbye, Amy. I won't be back. There's just too much back there that still needs to be done, and my friends can't do it alone, not without help.

I know this letter is strange, but please try to understand it. I care for you a great deal Amy, and I think I could have cared for you even more in time, but there are some things a man can't ignore.

Know that you will always be in my heart, and I will miss you every step of the way in my path of life.

Sincerely yours,

Rock Xavier Light

* * *

Okay, this was pretty short for me, but that's life.   
I'm gearing up for the sequel, but that may take a while, as I've sworn to myself that I'm going to finish at least one of my other projects before I start the next one of these.

Neverwhere: Chaos Mode 


End file.
